The dawn of the “Roaring Twenties” was a robust and exciting time in America’s history, as well as here in Georgia. Macon businessman Alfred Sams Jr.’s grandfather and his two partners decided it was the perfect time to launch a wholesale business, and together, they founded MCT Wholesale. Mr. Sams had spent some years studying accounting at Mercer University, where he acquired a keen sense of financing. The company started as a very small operation, seeking to help a growing community after World War I. Initially, it was Mr. Sams working with his partners—and their single truck—to gather supplies and bring them around to local convenience stores, motels, hotels, drug stores, service stations, and restaurants.
In 1920, Mr. Sams bought the company and decided to incorporate it. The warehouse was located in downtown Macon on Broadway (which is now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). The company ran from 1920 to the early 1960s at that facility, supplying customers with gum, candy, snacks, beverages, and tobacco.
By the early ’60s, MCT had grown to the point that a larger facility was needed. Mr. Sams and his sons, Alfred and Rufus, decided to build a new warehouse where the company currently resides (575 12th Street). Through the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, the company steadily grew and expanded their customer base.
In 1995, Felton Hartley was chosen to be the first general manager. Felton had worked for other distribution companies before and was chosen for his knowledge and resources to completely modernize MCT. As the company kept growing, the facility was enlarged by adding a whole new division to the original warehouse and a mezzanine to expand the office space the company had available. A second expansion was then made to the warehouse and with new racks and a conveyor system to expedite the merchandise pulling process. Suddenly, MCT was far faster and more efficient than it ever had been, and customers needed a better way to submit their weekly orders to the office. Felton solved this by implementing the Telxon system, which allowed customers to quickly punch in the item numbers and quantities they needed into a device that would then transmit the order through a land line telephone.
As Felton Hartley’s time with the company came to an end, Rodney Simmons was chosen to be the next general manager. Rodney had a very strong buying background and had been with the company for several years. With his business degree from UGA, Rodney had a firm understanding of the financial side of the company. He was able to overhaul the purchasing department for the company and bring in a wider variety of products to make the most use out of the tools Felton had already implemented. Over the years, as technology continued to progress and move forward, Rodney worked closely with office and marketing manager Bob Jones to bring in PowerNet units to provide customer with a more technologically advanced way of placing their orders. Bob Jones has been a guiding light and a very key figure in the success of MCT for many years.
Sadly, Rodney Simmons passed away very unexpectedly. This left the general manager position open once more, and Jay Melvin stepped up to fill the vacancy left by the sudden loss of Rodney Simmons. He is presently the General Manager and President of MCT Wholesale. Jay’s background is in sales, as he was trained by his grandfather, JB Collins, who was part of the sales force for approximately 43 years. Jay has worked hard to expand our customer base over his 33 plus years with MCT and looks forward to even more success in the years to come with the team of professionals at MCT Wholesale. Here’s to the next 100 years!
We would also like to extend a special thank you to all the Georgia Convenience store owners that allow MCT Wholesale to work with them to fill their customers’ needs.
Call us! We would like to help you make your stores better tomorrow than they are today!
1-800-637-0190 or email contact@mctweb.com