Customer service is what sets the good companies apart from the bad companies. Think of it as an added value. In today’s competitive industry, everyone can provide the best product, but not a great customer service. — Charles Vallena
To convey something is to transport or deliver it to a person, place or thing. A bouquet of roses may be conveyed to an actor exiting a stage. An idea may be conveyed to a listening audience. A product may be conveyed to a waiting customer. An accessory, component or part may be conveyed to a company. Conveying things from one entity to another is a common occurrence, but to do so professionally is reserved for those serving in the conveyor industry.
Tidewater Conveyer, Inc., a family owned company located on Bluecrab Road in the Oyster Point area, has been in the business of conveying since the early 80s and is still going strong. As a business-to-business company, Tidewater provides conveying equipment to organizations from eastern North Carolina to the Virginia Peninsula to Richmond, Virginia. Some of its customers include Canon Virginia, Tidewater Fibre Corp., Unilever Foods, Lipton Tea, Birdsong Peanuts, Kraft Foods and Norfolk International and Newport News/Williamsburg International airports, to name a few.
Tidewater is owned and operated by Wayne Newton and his two sons, Josh and Ryan. As a small local company, they are able to provide their customers with tailor-made personal service that is difficult to come by in some of the larger, more corporate organizations. “Customers will call and tell us what they want or need and say, ‘Let me know when you can do it,’” says Newton. “They never ask a price. A lot of them will ask me how to do something — when you help people, they’ll look to you for work.”
In addition to providing virtually any component, part or accessory needed for conveyor systems, Tidewater Conveyor designs and builds conveyor systems to customer specification, maintains the conveyor systems, including necessary reparations and service of conveyor equipment and offers maintenance contracts and warranties on material handling of the conveyors.
One of the services Tidewater offers that sets it apart from others in the Oyster Point area is conveyor belt vulcanizing, which is the process of using heat and pressure to repair damaged or compromised sections of the conveyor belt. Being able to provide such services, along with application of other troubleshooting strategies, is one of the facets of the business that Newton finds most rewarding. “I really enjoy solving problems,” he says. “You have people trying to do something one way and then we offer them options they can’t see; we’re able to understand the problem from experience and help them solve it.”
For Newton and his sons, the business of Tidewater is all about the people and meeting their needs. “We have good customer relations — we realize markets change and we have to keep up with that…and, as a small business, we are able to adjust and change quickly,” says Newton. “Our job is to give the customer what he or she needs. To determine what works in the space, what speed the conveyor needs to be based on the equipment the customer has and with that information, we design it, build it and put it in,” says Newton.
Although Newton spends countless hours keeping up with the demands of his small family-owned business, he makes time for personal endeavors as well. “I just bought my third boat — I’ve got those grandkids,” boasts Newton, “and I’m going to take time for them.”
Clearly, Wayne knows the importance of family when it comes to conveying his affection to those he loves.
TO THE POINT:
Tidewater Conveyor, Inc.
Address: 815 Bluecrab Rd., Newport News, VA 23606
Phone: 757-873-7747
Contact: Wayne Newton, owner
Website: www.tidewaterconveyor.com
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