Finance and Commerce:
Steve O’Brien is running the risk of giving middle men a good name. In April 2005, the Forest Lake entrepreneur started a Web-based business - FillExchange.com - that acts as a liaison between contractors who need construction fill and those who are trying to get rid of excess fill.
The business appears to be on solid ground: It now has 8 employees and more than 1,300 listings, up from 300 listings a year ago. Last month, taking the FillExchange concept a step further, O’Brien launched another online service that brings together users of construction equipment with companies that have equipment for rent or for hire.
As of last week, the new service had 321 equipment listings. ‘It’s taken off quite well,’ O’Brien said. EquipmentForHire.com is designed to make it easy to find ‘all kinds of equipment in all kinds of locations,’ according to the company’s promotional materials. Available equipment ranges from skid steers and Bobcats to compaction equipment and earth movers.
Equipment companies with listings on the site include Ziegler, Caterpillar, St. Joseph’s Equipment Co., Carlson Tractor and Equipment, and Nelson Contracting. Providers pay a fee to list on the Web site, and those who need equipment can access the information for free. Companies can list individual items for $1.95 per item per month, or list all of their equipment for $95 per month…
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