Since our founding in 1951, we have been proud to serve the people who matter most: you. Guided by family leadership and a strong set of core values, our 75th anniversary represents our commitment to being the ultimate service provider and the trusted relationships we built along the way.
Gregory Poole Equipment Company’s story begins with family.
James Gregory Poole Sr. founded the company with his uncle, William Lewis Gregory. The name Gregory-Poole Equipment Company was chosen to represent the Gregory and Poole family names.
After years of successful collaboration, Greg Poole Sr. became the sole owner of the dealer in 1961. Known for his fairness and industry knowledge, the company was renowned for its unmatched customer experience and providing innovative solutions to customer pain points.
Over the years, James Gregory Poole Jr. rose through the company. In 1964, he became Gregory Poole Equipment Company’s second-generation leader when he took on the roles of President and CEO. The company continued to expand under Greg Poole Jr.’s leadership, and the people-first culture flourished.
In 1999, James Gregory Poole III became CEO and the company’s third-generation owner. Greg Poole III has not only preserved the company’s cherished people-first culture but also overseen its unimaginable growth throughout the region.
This continuity of leadership has created a company that invests back in its customers, employees, and community, providing a long-term roadmap for a better future.
Along with its family culture and commitment to excellent customer service, Gregory Poole Equipment Company is a steward of its community.
Greg Poole Jr. was known for his charitable endeavors and was dedicated to the growth of Raleigh and the betterment of the lives of North Carolinians, most notably through the establishment of Dorothea Dix Park. Today, Greg Poole III and the company continue to support Dix Park and a number of organizations including Hope Reins, the Boys and Girls Club, Veterans Life Center, and more.
Each year, Gregory Poole employees participate in the Walk to Defeat ALS with Caterpillar NC to support those living with ALS. The company also sponsors and encourages employee participation in Walk for Hope, which raises money each year to fund mental illness research at UNC Chapel Hill.
At the heart of Gregory Poole’s success are the employees who make each day possible. When Gregory Poole Equipment Company was founded in 1951, the company had a total of 35 employees. Today, over 1,500 people work at Gregory Poole across eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
The national average company tenure for employees in the United States is 3.9 years. Job market trends show that in order to grow in one’s career, frequent job changes are necessary. At Gregory Poole, the average tenure is over eight years, more than double the national average.
Gregory Poole Equipment Company specializes in “promoting from within.” Employees do not need to change jobs to improve their career prospects, and Gregory Poole invests in the success and growth of employees.
In 2024, Gregory Poole partnered with Wake Tech Community College to form the Gregory Poole Apprenticeship Program to help build the next generation of technicians. Through the program, apprentices work at Gregory Poole for part of the week to gain hands-on experience while taking classes at Wake Tech the remainder of the week. At the completion of the program, apprentices earn a degree and a full-time job offer from Gregory Poole.
Less than a year later in 2025, the equipment dealer launched GP Academy, a specialized training initiative designed to strengthen employee development opportunities, including apprenticeship programs and other trainings.
From the moment employees come to work at Gregory Poole, they experience a culture of loyalty where they are encouraged to be the best version of themselves. Employees are guided by core values of Commitment, Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence, and Safety, and after 75 years, it is clear the people of Gregory Poole are a key part of the company’s longevity.
Since 1951, Gregory Poole Equipment Company has been a partner to a company with a long legacy of its own: Caterpillar. The dealership was founded with the goal of bringing Caterpillar’s high-quality equipment to eastern North Carolina and supporting customers with reliable service to match.
In the early years, the company supplied equipment for forestry, land clearing, and highway projects as communities as the eastern part of the state grew. Dozers such as the Cat D6 and small loaders were among the most popular machines with early customers who built logging roads, prepared farmland, and developed transportation routes.
As the region expanded, so did the needs of the people who worked in it. Gregory Poole responded by offering a wider range of equipment and larger, more capable machines. Excavators, compactors, articulated and off-highway trucks, and motor graders became essential tools for the construction of new highways, industrial sites, and municipal infrastructure. Today, Gregory Poole supports customers in mining, construction, forestry, and agriculture with a full line of heavy and compact equipment.
The way customers use equipment has also changed. While it once seemed unimaginable, renting equipment is now a common and practical option so customers can access machines for specific projects without the upfront cost of ownership. To meet this need, Gregory Poole operates a dedicated rental division across the region known as Gregory Poole: Cat Rentals.
Under its Power and Energy division, Gregory Poole provides Cat generators, electric power systems, and services for hospitals, municipalities, broadcasters, and other critical operations. The company also supports commercial and recreational marine customers with Cat marine engines. As communities expanded and school systems modernized, Gregory Poole became the Blue Bird dealer for North Carolina and South Carolina, supplying buses to school districts and commercial fleets.
In 1968, Gregory Poole launched a material handling division to meet the needs of warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers. Now known as Gregory Poole Lift Systems, the company supplies full lines of Hyster and Yale equipment, which are advanced electric and internal combustion lift trucks that support the region’s industrial growth.
While the equipment Gregory Poole provides has increased in size, capability, and variety, one thing has remained constant, a focus on Continuous Improvement. Whether it involves operator comfort, service intervals, or jobsite productivity, Gregory Poole has spent 75 years working to exceed customer expectations and support the progress of the communities it serves.
Caterpillar first reached out to Greg Poole Sr. about starting an equipment dealership in eastern North Carolina because the dealer’s eventual founder was a user of Cat equipment.
He did not just have a strong business sense or empathy for his employees; he thought like a customer and knew what future customers would need. As he led the business in its early years, Greg Poole Sr. instilled this mindset in the people around him, and that carried over into Gregory Poole’s culture 75 years later.
Customer experience is the cornerstone of Gregory Poole’s business, started by Greg Poole Sr., shaped by Greg Poole Jr., and amplified by Greg Poole III. Along with the high-quality equipment from trusted manufacturers, Gregory Poole exemplifies a genuine commitment to service and a desire to find innovative solutions. This has led to trusted relationships that have stood the test of time and grown alongside Gregory Poole.
Gregory Poole Equipment Company’s goal is to be where you need us most to make sure your business stays running. Gregory Poole Equipment Company first opened with two locations. In 1954, the Cat equipment dealer opened its current headquarters at 4807 Beryl Road in Raleigh.
Today, Gregory Poole Equipment Company has 28 locations spread across three states. Fifteen of those branches are Gregory Poole Cat locations; the most recent location opened in March 2026, and another will open later this summer. The other 13 locations, spread throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, belong to Gregory Poole Lift Systems. Each new location opens so we can continue providing the hands-on customer experience you have come to expect.
In the coming years, we are dedicated to increasing our capabilities even more with a new state-of-the-art master campus in Garner, North Carolina. This move would not be possible without your continued support as a trusted partner, and we hope this new facility will carry us through the next 75 years.
Thank you for being part of our journey. We can’t wait to see what is next.
