TOM HILER, HILER BROTHERS COMPANY

Briefly describe your business, the industry you’re in and the type of equipment you rely on. 

“We’re in the, in the fuel and oil business — petroleum, gas, diesel, propane, and lubricants. We do have a couple small gas stations that we own, but primarily our business is the transporting and delivery of bulk fuel and oil and propane and lubricants. We have a pretty vast array of different types of trucks that we use, fuel trailers and delivery trucks. That’s where Thirty3 Capital has really come in and been a really good partnership for us with our business.” 

How were you typically financing equipment before us?
“We were basically financing it usually through our bank. Just before COVID, our business really started to grow by leaps and bounds. And we met Greg Newberry, who we had met via his previous company, where he helped businesses with their financials and getting capital through their bank. He stepped away from that and went to work for Thirty3 Capital, and he came and talked to us about the different things they could do for our business. I don’t know that our business could have grown the way it has without having Greg Newberry. He has been really instrumental in the growth and development of our business.” 

Can you tell us more about your relationship with Greg?
“We’ve been in a situation where we have grown so much in a short period of time. And Greg is brilliant with financing — not only has he worked to get us the financing, he’s also done a good job of making sure our business is in the position where the right thing to do is to buy the equipment. We get more than just somebody trying to loan you money. We also get some really good business advice at the same time, using his insight to help us make sure that our business is in the right position. He’s been a really good partner in both of those areas.”

What stood out to you about Thirty3 Capital compared to others?
“A lot of places you go, they have one product for you, one choice and one choice only… with Thirty3 Capital it’s not like that. They come back to you with options, and they work not only with their own financing, but through other lenders as well. It’s almost like a broker. You’re able to shop around and find what really is the best option— whether it’s a lease,  a purchase, how much money are you putting down, how long are you going out with it? 
There’s just been a vast array of choices, it’s not always the same choice. And that’s what I like about Thirty3 Capital.”

Describe the application process.
“Very simple — and that is another reason why we work with Thirty3 Capital. They have all our information, so it’s not like we’ve got to reinvent the wheel every time. Everything is in the system and it’s a very simplified process. There’s not much paperwork involved for what we’re doing and it’s all done in a very short period of time.”

How did fast approvals impact your ability to move forward with the equipment purchases?
“In the petroleum industry, it’s not very often that used equipment becomes available, that’s in good shape. And we don’t buy everything brand new all the time, it doesn’t make sense for us. We do like to buy some ‘gently-new’ stuff. Unfortunately, it isn’t on the market very long, so we have to have quick turnaround, and very quickly get an approval. If we can give notification to a seller that we are approved and we’ll be funding very shortly, that helps us. Just recently we’ve been looking at some equipment, and you wait a day, next thing you know, it’s gone. With Thirty3 Capital, we're able to get stuff secured very quickly.”

Has working with 33 capital improved your confidence when planning future equipment purchases?
“When we’re working with Greg, we are able to talk about what we’re doing, and he likes to get updates on our business and what direction we’re going, and what what growth we might be seeing in the future. Greg Newberry is one of our outside business partners. I could not run my business without him. And I think you hit the nail in the head. He absolutely understands our business, what we're doing, and why we're doing it.”

How would you describe Thirty3 Capital, in three words?
“One stop shop.”