Couple purchases Ed Scott Express

There's someone new at the wheel of Ed Scott Express.

Ed Scott sold the company, located at 2953 E. Chestnut Expwy., to Mark and Misty Lane in a transaction effective Nov. 15.

Mark Lane, who previously worked for a company that sold and delivered parts, was looking for a business to purchase when he found out about Ed Scott Express, a business-to-business courier.

"One company will call and say they have blueprints, plans, negatives, there's just all kinds of stuff we haul and take it to another business," Lane said.

Lane said the company delivers things like medical records, blood work and urine samples for doctors, and small parts for manufacturers, but Ed Scott Express isn't considered a freight hauler.

The company also does a lot of mail handling and mail service for different types of businesses, Lane said.

The new owners will retain the name Ed Scott Express, but the company's corporate name is now Lane Enterprises dba Ed Scott Express. The company's address location and telephone number also remain unchanged. The company employs six and owns six vehicles. Scott, the company's previous owner, will stay on as a consultant until the end of December.

Time to go

Scott founded the company 21 1/2 years ago, and he said his decision to sell was driven by the fact that it would allow him to "go do something else," al-though he doesn't yet know what that will be.

"I will still be looking to do something else, whether it's to buy another business or something, I'll still be working," Scott said.

The company that started with one person and one vehicle has experienced fluctuating growth through the years, he said. It's had as many as 14 trucks and the employees to drive them, and be-tween five and nine workers and vehicles for the last five years or so.

The company initially focused on deliveries for print shops, Scott said.

"We discovered that mail was the key to getting things done, so we delivered mail to our customers," he added.

The company now has about 65 mail-delivery accounts.

The Lanes don't have immediate plans to change the way the company operates. The company services Springfield and can accommodate jobs of varying sizes. In addition to its dedicated routes, Ed Scott Express also will handle individual jobs that are called in as well as rush deliveries that are guaranteed to arrive within a two-hour period.

Fees charged vary depending on the size of the job and whether it's a rush delivery. While the Lanes and Scott declined to give an exact pricing schedule, Scott said a small job, such as delivery of a manila folder or a computer disk, could be done for about $5.

Using Ed Scott Express is relatively inexpensive, Lane said, when the alternative is to have a secretary or someone with the company leave work to deliver an item to a client or to another location.

Mark Lane is busy learning about what the company does and how the routing is set up. Misty Lane works for another company, but she's also actively involved in the couple's new business. She said owning a business has long been a dream of her husband.

Lane plans on growing his dream-come-true into a bigger business.

"(Scott) hasn't aggressively (gone) out and tried to get business for the past three or four years. If they called, he picked it up and ran with it and took care of it, but no one was out there knocking on somebody's door," Lane said.

As he gets settled into his new role as a business owner, Lane will be out making sales calls in the community.

"Once I've learned what the routes are that we're doing now, and where we can expand, as far as with existing vehicles or going out and purchasing some more," Lane said.

The Lanes are excited about their new venture.

"It's a ball of emotions, because you're excited about getting out there and expanding and doing things that you've got control of, and on the other hand there's that signing of the dotted line," he said.