Disaster leads firm to increase services

The Woods are survivors.

When Hurricane Floyd and the flooding that followed hit in 1999, many of Wood’s Machine Services’ customers were hit hard, said Mary Wood, co-owner. Those that didn’t fold received grants to buy new machinery. For a repair shop, that means slow business ahead.

“We couldn’t sit for three years and wait for somebody to start breaking down. So we had to diversify,” Wood said.

The business still does repairs ranging from modified car rims to lawn mower parts, but since it has branched out into sorting out defective parts for businesses, truck and crane rental and selling Blynd hunting stands, Wood said.

Q: What services or products do you provide?

A: We are a basic machine shop. We do repairs, make new parts per customer request. We have boom trucks and crane rentals.

Q: Who are your key leaders?

A: That would be me or Tommy Wood, my husband, or Jeff Wood, my son.

Q: How many people do you employ?

A: Right now it is kind of tight. I think we have 12.

Q: When were you established?

A: April 1, 1983.

Q: What’s your business philosophy?

A: We just try to keep everybody happy and do quality work in quality time.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: It is a family-owned and -operated business and has been since the beginning of time. We diversified. We’ve got about four different directions we go in.

Q: Why did you pick Rocky Mount as a place to do business?

A: I was born and raised here. The whole crowd was.