Vander Molen

What Vander Molen does

Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales & Service is a privately held, founder-operated authorized dealer of fire apparatus and ambulances headquartered in Dewitt, NY. Founded in 2004 by Phil Vander Molen — a volunteer firefighter who introduced the Sutphen brand to the DeWitt Fire District — the company sells, services, and maintains a multi-brand portfolio that anchors on Sutphen (its Tier 1 service relationship) and includes Fort Garry, PL Custom ambulances, Malley ambulances, Rescue 1 heavy rescues, and Vengeant specialty/mini pumpers. Customers are municipal and volunteer fire departments plus EMS agencies across Upstate New York, Vermont, and (selectively) Pennsylvania.

The company's operations span three physical sites: a corporate headquarters in Dewitt, a 9,000 sq ft service and sales facility in Ballston Lake (built 2016 on 3 acres with lifts, a gantry, and on-site pump testing), and a satellite service shop in Utica opened in 2021. A service fleet of 13 vehicles and 4 mobile trailers supports on-site repairs at customer firehouses to minimize department downtime. The aftermarket service offering — 24/7 emergency response, NFPA pump testing, EVT/ASE-certified technicians, and OEM-certified pump and chassis work — is the recurring-revenue engine, while new unit sales are quote-based with multi-year contract cadence on large custom rigs.

The business model is a hybrid dealer/service model. Revenue comes from one-time custom apparatus sales (perpetual license-style transactions) and recurring parts, service, and inspection contracts. GTM is enterprise field sales targeting government procurement buyers, with no digital channel of consequence beyond the vm-fire.com website and a Facebook page. The company carries no institutional investors and is owner-operated, with management including President Philip Vander Molen, Sales Manager Nick Catalino, and Safety & Service Manager Mike Bonesteel.

Name

Vander Molen

Legal name

Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales & Service

Website

https://vm-fire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vander Molen is a privately held, founder-operated authorized dealer and Tier 1 service provider for Sutphen and other fire apparatus OEMs, selling, servicing, and maintaining custom fire trucks and ambulances for municipal and volunteer fire departments across Upstate New York, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dewitt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fire Apparatus Sales: Sales of new fire apparatus including Sutphen pumpers, aerials, tankers, and rescues; also Fort Garry, PL Custom ambulances, Vengeant apparatus, and Malley Industries products
2. Parts & Service: Service and maintenance of fire apparatus, 24/7 emergency service, NFPA pump testing, and parts sales

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vander Molen is an authorized dealer and Tier 1 service provider for fire apparatus and ambulances serving municipal and volunteer fire departments across upstate New York, Vermont, and selectively Pennsylvania. The company sells new apparatus from Sutphen (primary), Fort Garry, Vengeant, PL Custom, Malley, and Rescue 1, and operates a full-service repair division offering NFPA pump testing, chassis and aerial inspections, foam system and CAFS service, parts, and 24/7 on-station mobile repair. Its service infrastructure includes a 9,000 square foot Ballston Lake facility (built 2016), an Utica shop (opened 2021), and a mobile service fleet of 13 vehicles and 4 trailers.

Product overview

Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales & Service is a fire apparatus dealership and service provider operating as an authorized Sutphen dealer in Upstate New York. The company offers a portfolio of fire apparatus brands including Sutphen (their primary brand), Fort Garry, Vengeant, PL Custom ambulances, Malley ambulances, and Rescue 1 heavy rescues. Their service division provides comprehensive repair, maintenance, and parts support across multiple facilities in Ballston Lake and Utica, NY. The company covers Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern New York and Vermont for various product lines, with different territorial arrangements for each brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sutphen Fire Apparatus Full line of Sutphen fire apparatus including pumpers, aerials (single and tandem axle), tankers, rescues, and custom configurations; sold and serviced across Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern NY.
• Fort Garry Fire Apparatus Fort Garry commercial pumpers, tankers, and rescues sold and serviced across New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont territories.
• Vengeant Apparatus Mini pumpers, mini rescues, specialty vehicles, and brush trucks sold across New York State excluding NYC and Long Island.
• PL Custom Ambulances Type I and Type III custom ambulances sold and serviced in Central, Southern, Eastern, Northern NY, and Vermont.
• Malley Type II Ambulances Type II ambulances sold and serviced in Central and Upstate NY under Malley Industries dealer agreement.
• Rescue 1 Heavy Rescues Heavy rescue vehicles sold and serviced in Central, Southern, Eastern, Northern NY, and Vermont.
• Parts and Service Department Full-service maintenance and repair for fire apparatus including pump service and testing, aerial repair, chassis inspections, generator service, ambulance service, foam system service, CAFS system service, and 24-hour emergency towing coordination, with on-call service 24/7 and NFPA annual and acceptance pump testing.

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sutphen CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVander Molen is an authorized Sutphen dealer covering Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern NY. They are recognized as a Tier 1 service provider for Sutphen Fire Apparatus. Products include pumpers, tankers, aerials (single and tandem axle), rescues, and more.
• Fort Garry Fire ApparatuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVander Molen covers Fort Garry sales and service in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Products include pumpers, tankers, and rescues.
• PL Custom AmbulancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCovers PL Custom, Type I and Type III custom ambulances for Central, Southern, Eastern, Northern NY and the state of Vermont.
• Rescue 1 TruckscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVander Molen covers Rescue 1 Heavy Rescues for Central, Southern, Eastern, Northern NY and the state of Vermont.
• Vengeant ApparatusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCovers all of New York with the exception of NYC and Long Island for Vengeant Apparatus including mini pumpers, mini rescues, specialty vehicles, and brush trucks.
• Malley IndustriesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCovers Central and Upstate NY for Malley Industries Type II ambulances.
• HalecoreTechnology or IntegrationVander Molen technicians are certified for all aspects of pump service and repair by Hale. Also certified for Foam System and CAFS maintenance and repair by Hale.
• WaterouscoreTechnology or IntegrationVander Molen technicians are certified for all aspects of pump service and repair by Waterous. Also certified for Foam System and CAFS maintenance and repair by Waterous.
• DarleycoreTechnology or IntegrationVander Molen technicians are certified for all aspects of pump service and repair by Darley. Also certified for Foam System and CAFS maintenance and repair by Darley.
• Spartan ChassiscoreTechnology or IntegrationVander Molen technicians are Sutphen and Spartan Chassis certified for service and support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sutphen Corporation: Vander Molen's primary supplier and channel partner. Sutphen manufactures fire apparatus (pumpers, aerials, tankers, rescues) and distributes through authorized dealers like Vander Molen — making it both supplier and a key relationship dependency.

Direct peers

• Dinges Fire & Safety: Midwest regional fire apparatus dealer and service provider (IL, WI, IN). Comparable regional multi-brand dealer with similar sales, service, and parts operations targeting municipal and volunteer fire departments.
• Williams Fire Apparatus: Regional fire apparatus dealer in the Southeast US serving municipal fire departments with new and used apparatus plus service operations. Comparable small-to-mid sized regional dealer model.
• Anchor-Richey Emergency Vehicle Service: Fire apparatus dealer/service operation in the Mid-Atlantic region. Comparable regional fire apparatus dealer with sales, service, and parts operations for municipal customers.
• Metro Fire Apparatus: Fire apparatus dealer in New York/New Jersey metropolitan area serving municipal fire departments. Geographic neighbor in the broader NY fire apparatus market with overlapping customer base and similar dealer-distributor model.
• Greenwood Emergency Vehicles: Multi-brand fire apparatus dealer serving New England (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT) with KME, Pierce, E-ONE, and others, plus service operations. Comparable regional dealer with overlapping VT territory and similar municipal fire department customer base.
• Atlantic Emergency Solutions: Multi-brand fire apparatus dealer serving the Southeast US (NC, VA, SC, TN) for Pierce, KME, E-ONE, and other brands. Directly comparable regional dealer with both sales and full-service operations similar to Vander Molen's Upstate NY model.

Broad incumbents

• Pierce Manufacturing: Largest US fire apparatus manufacturer (owned by Oshkosh Corporation) with an extensive authorized dealer network. Indirectly competitive; its dealer network defines the competitive landscape Vander Molen operates in.
• REV Group (Fire Division): Major fire apparatus manufacturer owning E-ONE, KME, and other fire apparatus brands with national dealer/service network. Competitor and indirect partner; sets the competitive context for regional dealers like Vander Molen.

Emerging players

• Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus: Used and refurbished fire apparatus dealer serving nationwide markets. Comparable dealer business model and customer base (municipal/volunteer fire departments), though focused on secondary market rather than new apparatus sales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VanderMolenFireApparatus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vander-molen-inc.

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vander Molen