After assisting a contractor on their first municipal project in ‘85, Ted & Terry bid on their first municipal contract with the City of West Lafayette, Indiana. Ted Merrell states that they had one truck, two very old 1955 Butler tankers, and a whole lot of energy when they bid on that contract. When they were the apparent low bidder, the mayor of West Lafayette was a little skeptical of this new, young startup company, so she wanted to come out for a site visit. At that time, Ted & Terry had a hog barn that was built in the shape of a horseshoe. Inside that horseshoe, they had built a very small, two room, make-shift office.
For the duration of the mayor’s visit, the classic saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” was playing in the back of their minds. The mayor must have seen something in Ted and Terry that day because after the meeting, she stated that she was impressed, and they were going to recommend to the board to award Merrell Bros., Inc. the contract. Today, Merrell Bros., Inc. still proudly holds that contract.