Two full-time jobs and volunteer fire duties within a rapidly growing city keep Waco Parts Manager Clayton Willis busy

Clayton Willis likes to say he has two full-time jobs, and one had a direct effect on him eventually becoming a team member at Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc.’s (KSM) Waco, Texas, branch.

“My brother and I bought a ranch about 20 years ago in a very rural area around Waco; we have 117 acres and cows, so that’s one job,” explained Willis, who is originally from Houston. “At the time we bought it, I was a district manager for a grocery company. I wanted to live on the ranch, and I couldn’t do that with the position I had, so I was looking for something else. A friend suggested I look at the heavy equipment industry because there were good jobs in the area.”

Willis found one working in the parts warehouse of an equipment dealer about 10 years ago.

“I had no experience in the industry, but I was able to learn the trade, and it gave me what I needed to get a foot in the door at Kirby-Smith,” said Willis. “I was recruited to come here by another employee and help open this branch a few years ago. It turned out to be a really good choice, and we have continued to grow ever since. It went from basically me, myself and I to a staff of more than 20 people who service the Waco area with equipment sales, rentals and support.”

That support includes a parts staff that’s overseen by Willis. The parts department has a large inventory of items for all the manufacturing lines KSM carries.

“Our inventory is constantly growing right now because our business is growing so much — Waco is booming,” said Willis. “We recently added our fourth parts person. I believe I have helped build this thing from the ground up, so it has been a real nice experience for me. Kirby-Smith has treated me very well.”

First responder

Willis emphasized that KSM’s expansion is mainly because the branch prioritizes having inventory on hand and taking care of customer needs quickly to minimize downtime.

“One of our competitors could not get a transmission that a mine needed, so the mine called us, and we were able to locate the transmission and have it here within a few days,” noted Willis. “We earned their business and their respect. We try our best to give them the personal touch. We get back to them right away when they call, no matter what the answer is. They appreciate that.”

In addition to his full-time jobs, Willis serves the community as a first responder. He’s an assistant chief at the Seale-Round Prairie Volunteer Fire Department and is on call 24/7. In his free time, he enjoys hunting on his ranch and spending time with his three grown children and three grandchildren, who he calls “the apple of my eye.”