SOUTH DEERFIELD — Goulet Trucking, a regional family-owned bulk dump and waste hauler, is being acquired by a New York company that has pledged not to lay off the 144 employees coming with the transaction.
Page Trucking, headquartered in Weedsport, New York, is expected to close on Goulet Trucking within the next month following negotiations that began roughly a year ago.
“No one is losing their jobs. If anything, we’re actually adding positions,” Dan Titus, president of Page Trucking, said in regard to various news reports that have falsely claimed that 144 positions will be eliminated. The plan is for all employees to be hired by Page Trucking after the acquisition, pending background checks and drug testing. These workers include drivers, mechanics and maintenance staff.
While an email seeking comment from Goulet Trucking was not returned on Wednesday, Paul Jordan, co-owner of Goulet Trucking, said in a statement on Page Trucking’s website that the transition sets the two companies up for future success.
“We’re pleased to announce this transaction with Page Trucking, a company that shares our vision for innovation and growth,” Jordan said. “This partnership gives us immediate access to additional equipment and driver capacity, expands our reach across North America, and elevates our expertise in the design and utilization of cutting-edge bulk transportation equipment. Together, we are set up for great success going forward — scaling our impact and driving industry evolution.”
Titus said the Goulet and Jordan families will remain on board, and operations will be overseen by a newly combined senior leadership team. Once the deal is finalized, the sign on the 20 Industrial Drive West building will read “Page GTC.”
“The best way to characterize this is the merging of two family companies,” Keith Titus, sales manager for Page Trucking, said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Dan Titus said his company acquires businesses only if they conduct the same type of work and are owned by families that stay on after the acquisition.
According to its website, Goulet Trucking was started in 1974 by Wayne Goulet, a Hadley dairy farmer who was in need of extra income during the slow winter months. The business now consists of more than 100 trucks and other pieces of equipment.
Keith Titus started his trucking business as Keith Titus Corporation, by way of a roadside repair business, in 1977. The company originally moved agricultural products. Titus eventually acquired Page Transportation and Page E.T.C. Inc., which are Page’s primary transportation companies and the branding most commonly recognized in the market.
Page Trucking will maintain its headquarters in Weedsport. The combined entities are expected to operate more than 500 trucks and 1,500 pieces of equipment.
“Our footprint is an international footprint,” Dan Titus said. “We are headquartered in central New York, but this gives us a much stronger presence not just in New England but throughout the Northeast.”