Albert Einstein once said, “The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity…out of discord, harmony…and out of difficulty, opportunity.”

Nobody could better exemplify the universality and relevance of these words in today’s competitive business world other than Peggy Allen Parker, President of Allen’s Electric Motor Service. From winding electric motors in a small backyard garage to leading a premium motor and pump repair service company, Peggy has been steering Allen’s toward success with an unwavering commitment to service and quality.

Peggy began her entrepreneurial journey back in 1979 with her father, Floyd Allen, in a 900sqft electric motor repair shop to serve north-western Louisiana’s booming oil field market and new product sales industry. However, Floyd had to step away due to health concerns, and Peggy was faced with the dilemma of closing down the business or learning the process of winding electric motors. As a resilient leader, Peggy chose the latter and took over as the sole proprietor in 1984. In the years that followed, significant capital investments, ever-growing industry knowledge, and the addition of experienced professionals have helped her grow Allen’s into a nationally recognized motor rewinding service facility.

Today, Allen’s Electric Motor Service positions itself as a precision repair services provider for AC, DC, and synchronous motors, pumps, and all rotating apparatus. The company has come a long way from modest origins to establishing four divisions and three production facilities with state-of-the-art technology. As a female-owned, family-operated business, Allen has its heart rooted locally, and its branches spread wide over the south-central region.

Journey through the Years

Allen’s expansion began with a vision to garner more customers and kick-started with the move to Oil City into a 2200sqft road front location in 1996 wherein it offered electric motor and rewinding products for the oil and industrial application. Fast forward to 2009, Allen’s expanded to its current 50,000sqft facility located in Louisiana and created two new divisions—Action Machining and Pump Service, Inc., and A.I.R.S., Allen’s Industrial Refrigeration Service. The Action division specializes in new pump sales, repair, and gearbox service, whereas A.I.R.S. in industrial chillers and cooling towers, providing new sales, rentals, and repairs. “Over the years, we have been actively expanding and continually outgrowing our facilities’ capacity. In 2018, we introduced AMP-Works—our 50,000sqft climate and humidity-controlled storage facility. This division was created to meet the growing need for proper storage and availability of specialty products stored in a controlled environment. In here, we inspect, rotate, and protect customers’ motors to ensure off-the-shelf availability,” says Peggy.

Driven by customer demand, Allen’s introduced its Pump Rental (APR) division in 2021. Operable in a newly purchased 165,000sqft building, this division will build custom pump packages or rent any pump unit built in-house. These pumps can be customized on trailers or skids with power from electric or diesel drives.

Under the Hoods of Allen’s Rotating Apparatus Services

With expert mechanical and electrical motor repair services and testing, Allen’s serves a prolific clientele across the paper, chemical, steel, and power industries. The company also extends its electric motor and pump repair services to large municipalities like Dallas, North Texas, and more.

“When it comes to motor repair, precise workmanship is a must.

From the minute the motor arrives at our facility to the point where we test run it, we document everything.

From the minute the motor arrives at our facility to the point where we test run it, we document everything and ensure that it leaves our location in perfect condition

To ensure that it leaves our location in perfect condition,” notes Peggy.

“Our fine craftsmanship is reflected in each electric motor we repair.”

To augment these capabilities further, Allen’s partners with motor and drive OEMs and pump manufacturers for providing its customers with new motor solutions and equipment replacements when repairing is no longer an option.

Whether customers are looking for an AC drive or DC drive—be it 10 or 10,000 horsepower—Allen’s can provide them with the options to make the most economically responsible choice for their facility.

Often, companies face the stiff challenge of motor replacement for old facilities as current designs do not fit what is in place. For such obsolete motors, Allen’s customer service team goes the extra mile, exploring its vast database of surplus motor suppliers to find a replacement or spare motor for the customer’s specific application. “As problem solvers, we provide our clients with a complete solution to prevent downtime on any of their products. We’re not just a motor and pump repair facility but reliable partners,” asserts Peggy.

Whether it’s a new build or a replacement, Allen’s offers its pump and pump package solutions from well-known brands for clients’ all needs. The company’s pump sales department, in that regard, is highly skilled in finding and processing those precise units in order to meet the customers’ distinct requirements.

Moreover, Allen’s leverages its machine shop to complement its rotating equipment repair services and manage the entire repair process in-house. Alongside an ability to repair or rebuild damaged parts back to OEM specifications, the company also offers technical support to reverse engineer and rebuild parts that are damaged beyond repair.

In order to extend its support to clients in the removal, installation, and start-up of their equipment, Allen’s provides its Field Service division. The company’s predictive/preventive maintenance team leverages the latest technology to offer clients the crucial information they need to prevent machine failures and increase reliability, productivity, and profitability.

Geared toward Excellence

“We are always striving to invest in the most up-to-date technologies—whether it’s buying new testing equipment, updating the existing one, or increasing our crane lifting capabilities—to better serve our customers,” states G.T. Nehls, Engineer at Allen’s Electric Motor Services. What underpins this capability is a steadfast commitment to delivering the highest quality and top-notch customer satisfaction. Allen’s quality repairs, timely delivery, and extensive reports coupled with its array of new products allow it to provide customers with transparent and competitive services. Available 24/7/365, Allen’s delivers superior customer service and ensures that customer expectations are not just fulfilled but exceeded. Allen’s has scripted several customer success stories over the years, which speak volumes about the company’s capabilities and the thought leadership it brings in.

Peggy recalls the story of a leading pulp and paper company that was facing fluting issues with their brand new 2500 HP motors installed in their mill.Upon closer investigation, Allen’s technical team found a spring structure around.

The bearing probe that was grounding itself, causing the current to circulate through that spring instead of the insulated bearing.

This resulted in serious fluting issues. Allen’s team discovered the root cause of this problem and offered a quick resolution. The client was thrilled by the result and was able to save significant money. “Due to the fluting issues, the paper mill was compelled to go through the extensively costly and time-consuming process of pulling the motors out, changing the bearings, and putting them back in. Our quick fix to the problem will enable their motors to run for years now as opposed to a few months,” remarks Clayton Wood, Reliability Manager at Allen’s Electric Motor Services. “While this is a very simplistic view of what we do, this success story perfectly captures what we have to offer: an easy and practical solution to all electric motor-related problems,” Wood narrates.

A Culture Entrenched in Innovation

If there’s one company that prioritizes their work culture just as much as they value their services, it’s Allen’s. The company continually makes conscious efforts to strengthen its expert team by hiring talented and experienced employees. Allen’s has created a positive and inclusive work environment that fosters collaboration and communication, boosts team morale, and enhances overall productivity in the workplace. “Life is all about recognizing the doors of opportunity and embracing new opportunities. I have been able to mentor, build, and maintain a strong and collaborative team of supervisors who share the same vision as mine and are inspired to do their best every day to meet clients’ needs,” states Peggy.

With a safety-first mentality at the core, Allen’s adopts a proactive approach to prevent safety issues from arising in the first place. In fact, the company’s in-house Safety Manager & Contract Coordinator, Lori Simpson, conducts safety programs twice a week where employees participate in daily toolbox talks, weekly safety meetings, and self-audits to ensure compliance, improve safety, and reduce risks. “Our commitment to safety and quality and integrity with our customers make us stand out against the competition,” remarks Peggy.

With a firm determination to broaden its capabilities, Allen’s is planning to acquire new testing equipment and machine tools and expand its field services as well as its storage facility. “All our efforts are directed toward staying up to speed with the latest developments in the market so that we can to not only save labor and motor servicing costs but also to avail the most accurate equipment for testing motors,” mentions Peggy.

According to Clint Walker, VP at Allen’s Electric Motor Service, the company’s aim through its recent investments is to expand into more markets. In time, Allen’s envisions becoming a well-rounded one-stop-shop for its customers, catering to all their pumps, motors, chillers, and field services needs.