Yancey Family,
We are saddened to report the death of our Chairman Emeritus and third Dealer Principal, Goodloe Harper Yancey III.* Goodloe was born on September 13, 1928 in Albany, Georgia and passed away peacefully on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018.*
Goodloe’s Caterpillar career began in Albany, Georgia, where his uncle, Earle Yancey, and his father, L.D. Yancey, operated Yancey Tractor, serving as Dealer Principal and General Manager, respectively.* In north Georgia, his uncle, Goodloe Yancey, Jr., operated Yancey Bros. Co.* In 1947, Earle’s family sold Yancey Tractor, beginning a temporary, 55 year absence for Yancey Bros. Co. from the CAT business in south Georgia.*
Goodloe, however, continued his engagement in the business in north Georgia with his uncle “Mr. Goodloe,” joining Yancey Bros. Co. in 1954 as a Sales Trainee after graduating from The University of Georgia and serving as a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.* Between 1954 and 1965, Goodloe worked as a Mechanic’s Helper, a Parts Warehouse Order Picker and a Parts Counter Salesman.* He also worked as one of the Company’s first Parts and Service Sales Representatives, as a Machine Sales Representative, as Sales Coordinator, and later as Sales Promotion Manager.* Goodloe became Vice-President of the Company in 1966 and Executive Vice-President and General Manager in 1972.* In 1974, he assumed the presidency of the Company upon the retirement of his older brother, Don, becoming the third family member to serve as Dealer Principal.*
Under Goodloe’s leadership, the Company opened its existing branches in Calhoun, Gwinnett County and Columbus, and its first full-service truck engine product support branch.* In 1984, the Company acquired the Grissom-Harrison Corporation, a mining and aggregates equipment and support distributor.* Three years later, the Company formed Sunbelt Power Systems, now known as Yancey Power Systems, to provide truck engine support and electric power generator sales and service.* In 1994, Yancey Power Systems opened a new branch at the intersection of Moreland Avenue and I-285 in Conley to meet the demand of the trucking industry in metro Atlanta and to serve as the primary parts warehouse for Yancey Power.
Goodloe recruited Jim Stephenson to join the Company in 1994 and completed a succession plan in 1996 when Jim and his wife, Donna, Goodloe’s niece, finalized their purchase of the Company.* Although retired from management of the Company, Goodloe remained an active member of the Company’s board of directors for 22 years, including leading the mid-year branch fly arounds during the Great Recession.
Goodloe’s professional, civic and social accomplishments were numerous.* He will be most remembered, however, for his relationships – with customers, friends, Caterpillar employees, other CAT dealers, and especially, with Yancey Bros. Co. employees.* Throughout his retirement, he continued to remind us that, “It’s all about the people.”
Goodloe is survived by his wife of 61 years, Delores Ann, his three sons, Goodloe IV and his wife Mary Barrett, James, and Allen, and one granddaughter, Savanna.* When arrangements are finalized, we will provide those details.* Please join us in extending prayers for peace for the family during this time of mourning and prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings we all enjoyed from our long association with Goodloe.* We will miss his strength and grace in the face of challenges, his razor sharp intellect, his wit, his wise counsel, and his presence.
“In coelo quies est”*
In Heaven there is rest
Jim Stephenson, Chairman & CEO* *Trey Googe, President & COO
