It’s easy to find Deep South Equipment’s Lafayette location; just look for the gorilla. The Louisiana-based equipment dealer and service provider opened at 122 Southpark Road in late 2024 and decided to keep the well-known gorilla statue from the previous owner, George’s Lift Trucks. CONNECT WITH US Top executives: John Parsons, Owner President; Patrick Parsons, VP of Used Truck Sales and JCP Construction Equipment; Lindsey Hernandez, VP of New Truck Sales; Gerald Boudreaux, CFO; Randall Kent, COO Phone: 337.837.5438 Address: 122 Southpark Road, Lafayette, LA 70508 Website: deepsouthequipment.com Keeping the statue just made sense. It’s a local landmark and represents Deep South’s desire to be part of the community. For years, their technicians have traveled across the region—from Port Allen to the Texas border—helping customers on-site. As business continued to grow, it became clear they needed a physical location in Lafayette. It was a wise decision. Since opening, Deep South’s Lafayette branch has grown quickly, increasing business by about 25 percent in 2025 as they expand their work in the industrial, oil and gas markets. The newly renovated service facility includes a fully equipped shop and fully stocked parts department. From this location, the team handles equipment sales, rentals, parts, service and training. They specialize in Hyster forklifts, JCB construction equipment, TICO terminal tractors, FECON forestry equipment, PowerBoss scrubber sweepers and Columbia utility vehicles. There are currently about 24 employees at the Lafayette branch, including 15 service technicians. According to Human Resources Manager Rebecca Lowe, they hope to hire more technicians by the end of the year. One thing that sets Deep South apart is consistency across all locations. Their technicians are factory-trained and certified, and they all follow the same “customer comes first” philosophy. They are rarely confined to the office, either, as more than 75 percent of their service is performed in the field. Deep South also offers on-site operator training for lift trucks. With 11 locations across four states, Deep South manages approximately 2,000 rental units. Between the Port Allen and Lafayette locations alone, more than 500 units are readily available. They are also quick to embrace new technologies for the benefit of their customers. Deep South is the trusted supplier for many business owners. The Lafayette branch stocks parts for all makes of forklifts through their aftermarket program. They are always readily available when customers need them. Customers can pick up parts at the office, have them shipped to the jobsite, or have a technician deliver them during a service call. In less than a year, the Lafayette branch has become part of the community. “It’s been a natural fit,” says Operations Manager Randall Kent. “In some ways, it feels like we’ve been here all along.” ...read more read less