Town Preserve Natural Beauty on a Tight Budget with Leasing Option

Blackfeet Indians refer to the majestic Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park as the “Backbone of the World”. Just miles away, within a Blackfeet Indian reservation, the town of Browning, Montana sits in the foothills of these mountains. Yet, the area known for its outdoors activities and natural beauty is not unaffected by Montana’s environmental concerns, resulting from years of mining and logging waste.

Recent efforts of the EPA are helping to turn this around, but other environmental issues remain – such as the impact of waste materials being buried in landfills. To protect the area surrounding the park, the town of Browning, Montana, led by Mayor William Morris, decided to implement a new system to encourage recycling among residents.

Tight budgets

Morris chose to purchase a weighing system for the town’s recycling facility. This system would need to be capable of tracking the type and amount of materials recycled, so that residents could be compensated for their contributions. However, finding the necessary funding proved to be a challenge. Like many small municipalities, Browning was dealing with tight budget constraints that could cause a delay in the purchase.

Morris spoke with Jim Rather, president of Rocky Mountain Scale Works, who suggested a leasing option for the town’s desired equipment. Less than a month later, a lease was signed for the equipment, installation and freight required for the new weighing system.

Browning, Montana would soon be in possession of a BridgeMont BMS SD truck scale and a ProDec floor scale from Avery Weigh-Tronix for their recycling facility.

Leasing option

Leasing provides a popular alternative for small companies that require expensive equipment and vehicles but do not have the means for immediate purchase. For this application, Rather extended the idea to include Avery Weigh-Tronix’s weighing equipment by contacting EquiCapital, Inc.

“To the best of my knowledge, leasing scales had not been proposed by my competition,” Rather said. “I contacted EquiCapital to work out the details. In a matter of minutes, I had been trained, provided access to their website and had my first proposal for a lease.”

This simple process allowed Rather to present Morris and his town with a proposal for the rugged Avery Weigh-Tronix scale system they required – and the flexible leasing option that would prove financially invaluable.

“The town of Browning had my proposal, including with the leasing option, within hours of their first contact with us – not days or weeks later,” Rather said. “They saw the lease as a way to get what they needed now without straining their finances or levying their tax base.”Technology also played a key role in expediting the project, as the entire process, from developing the proposal to completing the sale, was completed electronically. Although Morris and Rather never met face-to-face, they were able to communicate through e-mail and cell phones, as well as take advantage of Avery Weigh-Tronix’s online tools – such as downloadable brochures and price lists – from the company’s website.

The convenience of online tools and electronic correspondence, the capabilities of Avery Weigh-Tronix’s truck and floor scale system, and the flexibility of EquiCapital’s leasing option allowed Rocky Mountain Scale Works to provide the town of Browning with the efficient weighing solution they needed, when they needed it. The system allows the town of Browning to encourage resident recycling – and maintain their town’s natural beauty – in a new way.