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Our History

A Brief History of Briggs Equipment

1896

The Beginning
With the desire to build the nation's best industrial supplier, J.C. Weaver & C.H. Briggs partnered to create Briggs-Weaver in Dallas, Texas
1896

1904

Headquarters
As a result of early success, Briggs-Weaver became an incorporated company and moved into a new headquarters, also in Dallas.
1904

1938

Charles Sammons
Charles Sammons founds Reserve Life Insurance Company, the first Sammons Enterprises company in Dallas, Texas.
Learn More About Sammons Enterprise
1938

1949

Houston, TX
Briggs-Weaver opens a Houston, TX branch as a result of a boom in business post World War II
View Houston Location
1949

1952

Briggs-Weaver
Charles A. Sammons, founder of Sammons Enterprises, takes ownership of Briggs-Weaver
1952

1953

TrackMobile
Briggs-Weaver adds the Trackmobile railcar mover brand to the family of equipment.
View Trackmobile Products
1953

1959

Yale Forklift Dealer
Briggs becomes a Yale Forklift dealer, distributing Yale's full line of products.
View Yale Products
1959

1971

Kalmar Ottawa
Briggs begins partnership with Kalmar Ottawa, a truck manufacturer from Ottawa, Kansas known for its superior quality and reliability.
View Kalmar Ottawa Products
1971

1978

Employee Stock Ownership
Sammons Enterprises opens Employee Stock Ownership Plan, in which all qualified employees become stock owners.
1978

1986

Capital Equipment Division
Capital Equipment Division formed within Briggs-Weaver; these branches include Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, New Orleans, Freeport, and Beaumont.
View All Locations
1986

1988

New Locations

Briggs opens Baton Rouge, LA branch & Mobile, AL branch

View All Locations

1988

1994

Expanding into Mexico
Briggs expands operations into Mexico by contracting with Chrysler Derramadero & Both Phoenix, AZ and Tucson, AZ branches acquired within U.S.
1994

1996

Briggs Sammons Separation
Briggs Equipment formed as a separate Sammons Enterprises Company
1996

1998

More New Locations
Phoenix, AZ , Tucson, AZ , and San Diego, CA branches sold to allow for acquisition of Atlanta, GA branch
View Atlanta Location
1998

2007

Expanding Across The Pond
Briggs expands operations into the United Kingdom, as a CAT dealer & Briggs International Formed
Learn more about Briggs Equipment UK
2007

2012

Hyster
Briggs adds 15 new locations in the Barloworld acquisition; creating a partnership between Briggs and Hyster and making Briggs one of the largest Hyster dealers in the U.S.
Read more about the Barloworld acquisition
2012

2016

Expanding Hyster Footprint
Briggs expands its Hyster footprint into Texas through the acquisition of assets from Stewart & Stevenson
Learn More About Acquisition
2016

2017

Yale
Briggs continues expansion with MacKinnon Equipment & Services acquisition, acquiring five Yale and JCB dealerships throughout Georgia and Florida.
Read more about the MacKinnon acquisition
2017

2019

Karcher
Briggs announces partnership with Kärcher, a German engineered cleaning equipment manufacturer. Briggs also launches new and improved website
Read More
2019

2020

Polaris
Briggs announces partnership with Polaris, American manufacturer of utility vehicles. And, Sammons ranks #73 on the Forbes 100 list.
Read More
2020

2021

Princeton

Briggs expands partnership with Princeton, the leading North American manufacturer of truck mounted forklifts

Read More

2021

2022

Briggs Industrial Solutions
In 2022, Briggs Industrial Solutions was created with a desire to diversify the business and provide a more comprehensive offering to our customers through four distinct businesses: Briggs Equipment, Briggs Truck & Rail, Briggs Earth & Ag and Briggs Warehouse Solutions
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2022

2023

Texas & Georgia Expansion

Briggs accelerates regional growth with a new Fort Worth Briggs Equipment branch and a Truck & Rail expansion into Gainesville, GA, serving the north Atlanta metro area.

2023

2024

Briggs Experience Center

Strategic expansion continues with a second Briggs Equipment location on the west side of Houston, a new Lubbock Truck & Rail branch, and the launch of the state-of-the-art Briggs Industrial Solutions Experience Center. Briggs also expands its industrial portfolio with JCB Industrial equipment, adding scissor lifts, aerial booms, and Teletruk forklifts to serve demanding jobsite applications in Florida and southern Georgia.

 

2024

2025

Briggs Truck & Rail Expansion

Briggs extends its Truck & Rail reach with the opening of a new Dallas location. Briggs adds strategic partners with Fusion lithium-ion low-speed vehicles, Moffett piggyback forklifts, and Boss railcar movers.

2025
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