The East Tennessee State University student Entrepreneurs Club will host Lee and Gary Robertson of Jonesborough’s Valley Equipment as guest speakers on Monday, Nov. 6, from 5-6 p.m. in the ETSU Innovation Laboratory Classroom. They will discuss the advantages and challenges involved in a family-owned business.
Valley Equipment was founded in 1952 by Roy Robertson, a former high school agriculture teacher and power board employee, and Meeks Vaughn, who had been a Link-Belt power transmission product salesman. Using a $400 investment in used motors and operating out of Robertson’s garage, the two men decided to go into business for themselves.
More than 50 years later, the business continues to thrive. The current owners are Robertson’s sons, Gary, an alumnus of ETSU, and Lee, a graduate of The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, as well as son-in-law Dexter Newman, who also holds a degree from ETSU. Granddaughter Leanna Robertson serves as marketing director for the business. She earned a master’s degree in technology at ETSU and, in 2005, was inducted into the ETSU College of Business and Technology’s Hall of Fame.
Valley Equipment now employs 30 people, selling industrial machinery, such as chemical pumps, tanks and storage vessels, and electrical and other types of process equipment, in the U.S. and internationally.
Sensitive to trends in the business, Valley Equipment now concentrates on customer-specific solutions, including specialized products, design services, and repair work.
For information, call 439-7444.

Author