Page 10 - July 2022

“ ... anything is possible if you work hard and treat people right.”
The road to success
In a message posted on the company website in 2018, Geary and Becky wrote a thank you to everyone who has helped them achieve their dream. They also named all of their then 18 grandchildren and wrote, “We hope that you can see that anything is possible if you work hard and treat people right.”
Geary likes to say they started with no formal business plan, just a dream to supply quality transportation at a fair market rate, build long-lasting business relationships and provide high-quality jobs to drivers and owner operators. They felt they could outwork and outperform the competition and focus on safety.
The Buchanans started as a flatbed company and have diversified over the years to become a full-service logistics company, handling all types of commodities, projects and freight moves throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. While they continue to operate flatbeds, now nearly half of their fleet consists of closed van trailers and they also have heavy haul specialized trailers to haul oversize and overweight cargo.
They haul machinery, steel, tubing, shingles and building material, just to name a few; they also can handle the transport of hazardous material.
Their scope of work spans occasional loads, regularly scheduled freight, dedicated lanes, expedited shipments and everything in between. Beyond transportation, they provide services such as tear down, assembly and crane/rigging, and their logistics division can manage a client’s entire supply chain.
The company hauls Gatorade for Quaker Oats and transports Exxon engine oil and lubricants to Walmart distribution centers, for example. Geary said they have a large number of customers across industries and the largest represents just 4.5% of their total business.
Diversification has been key to their success, Geary said, and he likes to think business aviation played an important role, too.
“It’s certainly made getting to this point easier,” he said.
8 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
Business has boomed over the past two years and it has taken a lot of hard work and dedication from employees across the company to navigate the changes in the world. Employees had to adapt how they were working when the pandemic started, and that was most difficult on drivers who couldn’t stop for meals the way they might have pre-COVID. The work they do is necessary for the country’s supply chain.
“We’re hauling a lot of products that people need every day, including consumer goods and building materials,” he said. “May 2020 was our bottom point, but we’ve been on an upswing ever since.”
Like most industries, he said Buchanan Hauling is dealing with a shortage of workers, especially drivers, riggers, technicians and mechanics. The Buchanans are proud of the family atmosphere they have created for all employees and their focus on offering good benefits, from matching 401(k) plans to a recent bonus to help offset surging gas prices.
Becky, who serves as an executive vice president, helps with the financial side of the business. Geary is the company president and is involved with sales as well as the day-to-day operations of the company. They have a blended family of six children, including several who are involved with the business. One grandchild is in college while the majority are younger than 10 years old, so they still have a few years to go before deciding whether to join the family business.
“We’ve been incredibly blessed to be able to add a lot of employees who are great people and who work their butts off because they love what they do,” Geary said.
SOA: An uplifting experience
In late 2021, Geary saw an article in King Air magazine about the need for aircraft to fly in the 2022 Special Olympics Airlift. He registered N831LS, donating the use of the airplane June 4 and June 12, a pilot (Weilein) and fuel for the 900-mile flights between Indianapolis International Airport (IND) and Orlando Executive Airport (ORL).
“We flew from Fort Wayne over to Indianapolis early on the morning of June 4 to pick up the athletes,” Geary said. “When we got there, they told us to go inside the FBO where there was some breakfast and people were gathering. We opened the door and there were people line dancing, there was music, and this is 7 o’clock in the morning!”
This same scenario was happening at 30 airports in 28 states across the U.S. that morning where 128 aircraft were preparing to transport about 800 athletes and coaches to Florida to compete in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. These games are held every four years and include Olympic-style team and individual sports that give youth and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to realize new strengths and abilities, skills and success.
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JULY 2022