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HUNTSVILLE, Texas—By all accounts, Jack Olsta, founder of The Jack Olsta Co., was a dynamic, relationship-driven, joyful figure who cared deeply about his community, customers, and employees. He also loved serving the tank truck industry and continued to visit the Huntsville office long after retiring in 2008, providing an invaluable resource for the people now committed to furthering his legacy.
“Jack was a lot of fun,” recalled John Olsta, Jack’s son and president of the company. “He’d come in, stir up the pot, then go to his office.”
Tragically, Jack suffered a life-changing fall—while still doing what he loved in his shop—in February 2020, beginning a long battle he finally lost in 2024. The Jack Olsta Co.’s namesake creator died April 27 at 81 years old. But even as family and friends mourn his substantial loss, the firm he founded is flourishing, with more growth over the last two years than any other period in its history, adding new systems, services, products, and facilities, including an expansive truck “rig-out” and blower shop.
And those involved are certain Jack is smiling down, a twinkle in his eye.
“Dad regularly told anyone who would listen that what we were doing was beyond his wildest dreams,” John reflected. “He was incredibly pleased by this team’s accomplishments, the growth, and everything the organization has become.
“To the end, he was very proud of what these guys do and how they do it.”
‘Bootstrap business’
Jack started Olsta Co. in 1987 as a trailer dealer after spending 22 years with Heil Trailer. John initially didn’t follow him, instead entering industrial sales after graduating from Texas A&M. But business ownership always intrigued him, so he joined Jack in the family business in 1998. “Nobody grows up saying they want to be in this industry,” John said. “It’s not particularly sexy, but it’s a good industry. The people are great, they’re accessible, and it’s rewarding to be in what we call a ‘bootstrap business’ that’s essential to the U.S. economy.”
Father and son set out side-by-side to make Olsta Co. an indispensable partner to customers through the Southeast over the next 10 years, adding and expanding used tank trailer sales, leasing, parts, and services with help from Taylor Craigen, vice president; Mark Holly, used sales manager; and Chris Kern, who oversees new equipment sales and leasing. Along the way, the Olsta Co. team internalized the relational approach to business Jack exhibited in every interaction. “We watched how he cared for people, and we continue to emulate that today,” Holly said. Jack stepped back at 65, and John purchased the business in a seamless 2012 transaction—ensuring it remained a family-first firm.
“We’re still nimble enough that we can respond quickly,” Holly asserted. “We can make rapid decisions and keep customers’ best interests at heart. Jack had a saying: ‘Do good business with good people.’ We can’t make everybody happy, but we can look for customers who value us as much as we value them.”
Employees value John’s visionary leadership. While Jack was a “hands-on, and very technical” manager, John sought to create a fully empowered institution. “He hires the right people and gives them the responsibility, rope, and resources to grow their business segments,” Craigen said. Holly is equally appreciative of John’s style, but John insists he’s only doing his job, which includes aligning talent with opportunity. “He’s calm and thoughtful in his decisions, and it’s not about him,” Craigen said. “It’s about his team.” And John says assembling the industry’s best team is his greatest accomplishment so far.
“Everybody talks about the quality of people we have,” he said. “They tell me that all the time—and they’re right.”
Olsta Co. isn’t done taking its operation to new heights, either.
The company, which acquired Pneumatic Technology (PneuTech) in a 2017 transaction that solidified its position as a market-leading supplier to the dry bulk industry, recently expanded its blower and truck rig-out operation under Spencer Ehlert; and hired Joe Kogut—previously director of transportation for a bulk liquid services company—as CEO of sister company Tank Works to supervise Ehlert, and Olsta Co.’s expanding equipment services.
“Spencer is an impressive guy with a ton of knowledge,” Kogut raved. “His ability to talk to customers, explain what he’s thinking, deal with mechanics to lay things out, and make sure they’re done properly—combined with his technical background—is amazing. We’re well-positioned in a market with a need.”
Expanding equipment services
Ehlert, a graduate of nearby Sam Houston State, joined the Olsta Co. team 13 years ago. He started in trailer sales, where he worked with OEMs on equipment spec’ing and warranty issues; switched to selling blowers after the PneuTech addition; returned to Huntsville after Olsta Co. partnered with Gardner Denver for mobile product distribution in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; and led Olsta Co. into the truck upfitting business five years ago, initially at the Tank Works location in Waxahachie, Texas.
“Spencer is incredibly well suited for the work he does,” John said. “He’s knowledgeable, very gifted, and his people are highly capable.”
The growing division moved into the Olsta family’s old pole barn at the 12-acre Huntsville headquarters in 2021, and then a new facility last year. The “shop on the hill” now boasts 22,500 sq. ft. and 18 bays. “We already had the know-how and desire to rebuild and install blowers,” Ehlert said. “Now we have the space.” Ehlert aims to refurbish “hundreds” of blowers this year for dry bulk customers across the U.S. who previously struggled to secure a reputable partner. “It’s difficult for customers to find a quality rebuilder who can take a blower apart, evaluate it, and provide honest feedback on the unit’s condition,” Ehlert explained. “That’s critical because trust is everything, and based on our feedback, the customer can decide how they want to proceed.”
Olsta Co. is factory certified for new and remanufactured Gardner Denver blowers but can rehabilitate and rig up any make or model. Ehlert’s team also can equip pumps, compressors, wet kits, and any other hydraulic or shaft-driven equipment; fabricate diesel- and electric-powered blower package units; and tackle custom builds like a self-contained fuel transfer trailer in the shop when Bulk Transporter visited. “We love special projects because we get to think outside the box,” Ehlert said.
The company stands behind its work, too, offering a one-year warranty on blower rebuilds.
“We’re excited about what we’re doing here,” Ehlert enthused. “It’s been a new adventure for the company. We’ve always been in tanks. That’s what we know. But since I’ve been here, it’s been neat to see the progression from tank trailer sales into parts, and now we have this shop where we’re focusing on other things, like rigging up and working on equipment. That’s a new chapter in the Jack Olsta story.”
Parts and hoses
Upfitting isn’t the only thing Olsta Co. is up to.
The company added nearly 40,000 sq. ft. of space in Huntsville over the last two years, doubling the size of its administrative offices, parts warehouse, and the old family barn that now serves as a dedicated, fully renovated hose shop. Olsta Co. maintains a “substantial” parts inventory across distribution points in Morris, Illinois; Lawrenceville, Georgia; Huntsville; and Fort Worth, where the company also is close to completing a new parts building adjacent to its second Tank Works facility. “We don’t have a problem keeping inventory on the shelf for customers if that’s what we need to garner their business,” said Craigen, who took over the parts division after 22 years leading new trailer sales.
Olsta Co. still is adding new parts lines, too, including BearCat Pumps, which offer increased capacity and external ball bearings for oilfield services. “It outperforms any other crude oil pump on the market,” Ehlert maintained.
The company expanded its hose service and facility at customers’ request. Olsta Co. now can construct, band, crimp, and test stainless-steel, rubber, and plastic hoses for petroleum, chemical, dry bulk, and food-grade transfers. “The additional capacity for the Huntsville hose shop and parts warehouse allows us to service a broader customer base, and gives us greater depth with existing customers,” Craigen said.
They can also serve customers in person or 24/7 online through the olstaco.com and pneutechtrailer.com ecommerce websites. “I don’t understand what our IT team does, but I’m glad they’re able to do it,” Craigen said.
“I throw out ideas and they make it happen.”
Trailer sales and leasing
Craigen helped Olsta Co. become one of the country’s largest tank trailer dealers before Kern inherited the division. The company represents Wabash for stainless-steel trailers and Heil Trailer for aluminum tankers in 13 states east of Texas and Oklahoma, and recently added Exosent Engineering’s distinctive LPG pressure vessels. “We were looking for an opportunity to sell a line of MC-331s, and we’re just down the road from Exosent [in Navasota],” said Kern, who left the life insurance business to team with Olsta Co. in 2010.
With OEM backlogs dwindling, “lower-than-normal” tank trailer capital expenditures are the “outlier” in an otherwise “solid” year, John shared. But Olsta Co. also maintains a diverse lease fleet that includes fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) trailers, helping carriers forced to allocate funds toward truck purchases and facility improvements continue to refresh trailing stock, meet seasonal demands, and assess new lanes. The company also buys and sells used trailers of all makes and models every day. This year, Holly’s team is aiming to move 500 units—a mark it surpassed in each of the last four years.
“Equipment has been easier to find this year, so folks are looking for deals, and trying to grow or update their fleets with good, late-model equipment that’s readily available,” said Holly, who began focusing on used sales in 2009. Used trailers are thoroughly tested and inspected, and strategically staged across the United States. “Different states have different requirements, so trailers are spec’d differently, and you don’t want to bring a trailer that runs in North Dakota down to Texas,” Holly said.
“So we run it through the closest shop and prep it there for sale.”
Future-focused family firm
New and used tank trailer sales, leasing, parts, hoses, and now rig-outs and rebuilds— Olsta Co. does it all, providing international capacity combined with small-town values. That increasing diversification is helping the company grow through a “weird” geo-political, election-influenced year, but the real goal is to serve customers in any way possible. “Our customers help us grow,” Kern said. “If they continue to trust us to help them solve problems, then we’ll have the opportunity to continue expanding.
“Those ideas go hand-in-hand.”
Now Olsta Co. is using technology to integrate its myriad services.
Guided by Ray Goins, IT manager, and Jaycie Johnson, accounting and business operations manager, the company rolled out a new enterprise resource planning system Jan. 1 to streamline processes and unite business segments inside one software solution. “We had these ideas about what we could be as an organization, but we had to create a lot of workarounds,” Goins said. “There was a lot of manual effort involved with our old system, which wasn’t flexible enough to grow with us. The new ERP enables greater efficiency, so we can continue building systems that better serve our business segments and customers.
“Now we can more effectively capitalize on all of our capabilities.”
Goins’ group also is increasingly using automation to update online pricing and Olsta Co.’s extensive parts catalog, and establishing a “data warehouse” to assist sales efforts, while the rest of the team continues to expand services. Further plans include utilizing the additional bays in Olsta Co.’s new rig-out shop to improve lease fleet uptime and expanding Tank Works tank container and chassis trailer testing and repair services.
“Dad started a good business that was customer-centric, provided a good product, and added value through our knowledge and service,” John concluded. “All we’ve done is look for other ways to serve our customers.
“It really is that simple.”
