Gary Terwilliger didn’t know a soul in Virginia in the late 1980s when two manufacturers asked him to relocate a small business he’d started in Louisiana to Chesapeake to become a dealer/distributor of their pile driving and foundation construction equipment. What he did know is that the Mid-Atlantic was a stable, growing area and a good place to do business. “I started GeoQuip here with three pieces of equipment in 1987 and worked out of a building that was 600 square feet in Great Bridge,” Gary recalls. “The roof was the deck off a barge.”

From this humble beginning, GeoQuip, Inc. has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of foundation and construction equipment on the East Coast. The equipment ranges from vibratory and impact pile hammers used to drive piles into the soil, to hydraulic augers used to drill deep into the ground, to name just a few.

GeoQuip worked on the Interstate 64 High Rise Bridge project in Chesapeake. 

The company sells, leases, and repairs the equipment and is staffed with a multitude of highly skilled service technicians. “The major challenge is to make sure that the equipment leaves our facility in first-class operating condition and that’s where we excel,” says Gary.

From their original Chesapeake location and corporate headquarters, GeoQuip has opened branches in Orlando, FL; Kansas City, MO; and most recently, Houston, TX in 2024. Gary’s wife, Gayle, a retired dentist, helps with employee recruitment and retention of GeoQuip’s employees, while his only son, Martin, joined the company about 10 years ago and will transition to CEO when Gary retires. 

“Martin has been responsible for a lot of our growth,” says Gary. “He’s quite intelligent, has a big heart, loves the business, and is engaged every day. He’s motivated and skilled and well-suited to continue our relationships with our customers as well as create new ones,” says Gary.

Martin graduated with a political science degree from Hampden-Sydney College and worked in Washington, D.C. for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action and then as a regional sales representative for Cochrane USA, a defense contracting firm, before moving home to join the family business.

“I started at the bottom and worked my way up so that I could learn every facet of the business,” says Martin. “Working in a family business can have its challenges, but my father and I have developed a tremendous working relationship. While we may view and approach challenges in different ways, we have the same goal in mind and are able to collaborate and use the best aspects of both approaches to come to a better solution than either of us could alone.” 

GeoQuip has been involved in a number of high profile projects over the past few years including the Midtown Tunnel in Portsmouth, the I-64 High Rise Bridge in Chesapeake, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Expansion, the Bonner Bridge Replacement in Wanchese, NC, the Rodanthe NC12 Bridge, and the Tidal Basin Seawall Rehabilitation in Washington, DC.

Gary says he was first introduced to TowneBank in 2005 by Ashton Lewis, Sr., a founding member of TowneBank’s Portsmouth board of directors. “He introduced me to the board members and to commercial banker Julie Anderson, and that’s when I started doing business with them. Julie and I have been friends for a long time. Our business is all about relationships— it’s as important with our customers as it is with our bank. Towne has been very supportive of GeoQuip and a tremendous partner for us,” adds Gary.

“Our top priority is to provide unrivaled customer service with a personal touch, which has allowed us to grow and expand like we have,” says Martin. “Through every turn, TowneBank has provided us with that same level of service and support. We recognize it as the key to growing relationships and achieving our goals as a business.”

For more information, visit GeoQuipUSA.com.