Hydraulic Specialty Co. in Rocky Mount repairs and sells parts for a wide range of industrial and agricultural equipment.

The family owned company serves customers within a 50-mile radius.

“Anything that has a hydraulic pump, motor or value we can work on it,” owner Linwood Bowen said. “We work on tobacco harvesters, tractors, backhoes.”

The company designs hydraulic power units to fit the customer’s needs.

“We design hydraulic power units and systems for industrial purposes, like a plant may have the need for a conveyor system to run a particular product from point A to point B,” he said. “We can put in a hydraulic power unit that would enable them to put in belting so it would move the product from one part of the plant to another part of the plant. It would be a freestanding hydraulic unit.”

Bowen’s son, Russell Bowen, runs day-to-day operations.

Several years before opening the business 29 years ago at 3000 S. Church St., Linwood Bowen worked as a salesman for another hydraulic company.

“A company I worked for actually went out of business,” he said. “I already had the clientele. I was his only salesperson. I just kind of rolled it over (into a new business).”

His business quickly expanded.

“At one time we didn’t do anything but outside sales,” he said. “Then, the repair business got so good we had to build a shop so we could do our hydraulic repairs and buy some equipment to do these repairs.”

Q: What products or services do you provide?

A: We sell hydraulic hoses, fittings, adapters, hydraulic equipment and supplies.

We repair hydraulic pumps, values, motors, values, cylinders.

We work on industrial and
agricultural type of equipment. We also do backhoes and trackhoes. Anything that has a hydraulic pump, motor or value, we can work on it. We work on tobacco harvesters, tractors, backhoes. We design hydraulic power units and systems for industrial purposes.”

Q: How many employees does your company have?

A: Five

Q: Who are your key leaders?

A: Linwood Bowen, owner. Russell Bowen, my son. He runs the facility here.

Q: What is your business philosophy?

A: Every customer that we have is a friend of ours. We try and treat everybody who comes in this door the same, whether they have one piece of equipment or 100 pieces of equipment.

Q: When were you established?

A: 1983

Q: What makes your business unique?

A: Really, there are not a lot of hydraulic repair facilities within a 50-mile area of here. We cater to everyone that has a hydraulic need. We try and cater to each and every one of them individually.

Q: What changes do you expect for your company in coming years?

A: We’re fixing to build a new garage area so we can get larger equipment inside. It will speed up our service. Rather than having (the equipment) sit in our yard, we can bring it inside so we can work on it and service it quicker. (The expansion) is in the works. We’re having drawings made of the new building for the service area.

Q: How has business grown in the last several years?

A: Tremendously. We just stay loaded up. We just have such a great customer base in the Rocky Mount area. We don’t do a whole lot outside of Nash County, Rocky Mount, Edgecombe and Wilson counties.

When you get past 50 miles, we don’t do whole lot with anyone. We have so much (business) to rely on locally. We really don’t solicit anything outside of Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson (counties).