Dubbo's 'King Of Cool' Trades Up To Isuzu

Dubbo is a town of weather extremes. Dry, stinking hot summer months and frigid winters that barely creep above double digits. ​ 

This all keeps Marty from Marty Nelson Refrigeration and Air Conditioning well and truly on his toes all year-round. ​ 

Marty, faithfully dubbed the ‘King of Cool,’ has more than a bit of background history in trades and service provision. ​ 

“Originally, I was an electrician, then I diversified into refrigeration, and ultimately into air conditioning. My business has been going approximately 15 years. 

“Today's an autumn day and it's beautiful with a perfect temperature, but in a month's time we'll get down to five degrees, nought degrees, so winter does hit quickly around here,” Marty said. 

It's this diverse weather that provides so much work for Marty’s growing business. ​ 

“Everything in my business revolves around refrigerated air conditioning, heating, and cooling. Whereas when I first started it was predominantly evaporative air conditioning.” ​ 

Marty works all year long, solving the many problems that arise with temperate control of homes, buildings and businesses throughout the Central West of New South Wales. 

Covering such a large and at times remote swathe of the state requires reliable transport that’s big on comfort, which is why Marty recently traded up from a ute to an Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack. 

With an electrician’s background, Marty says he prefers to be ‘on the tools,’ however the success of the business has meant that he has progressed to overseeing the whole operation. 

“So, day-to-day, my business would be talking to builders, talking to clients, talking to the service team to make sure our teams have everything they need.” 

The team is supervised by Marty who keeps everything running smoothly, and his customers appreciate the personal touch, knowing that he is on top of the jobs and at the helm. 

Even with two administrators working alongside, “I’m generally the first port of call.” 

Keeping Dubbo Frosty 

During the booming summer months, Marty’s business can field anywhere between 120 to 170 calls a day, so it’s critical to have someone who knows the lay of the land inside and out. ​ 

“Sometimes we just can’t get to everyone in the busy months, but we try to have a 48-hour turn over for jobs but occasionally we’re forced to send customers in the direction of different trades who can help them out. 

“Reputations are everything in regional communities, so our guiding principles of integrity, honesty, and loyalty are clear in the way we do business – its all about getting results for our customers.” 

Regional Reputations 

“I didn't even have a ute back when I began in the business, so I used to borrow a ute from a friend of mine to get things started. 

“The business has progressed to now include a fleet of work vehicles, with the latest edition being our new Isuzu Tradepack! ​ 

“What's great about the Isuzu truck is that I can put four installations in the back then drop them on-site. So, we're not towing a trailer or getting the boys to travel from job site to job site,” he said. 

These business efficiencies are at the heart of the NPR 45-155 Tradepack, from Isuzu’s popular pre-bodied range of trucks. ​ 

Featuring a GVM of 4,500 kg and a GCM of 9,000 kg, the NPR also has towing capacity of 4,500 kg, meaning all of Marty’s payload needs are met, and all on a standard car driver’s licence. 

Powered by Isuzu’s four-cylinder 4HK1-TCN engine, the NPR has plenty of punch at 114 kW (155PS) @ 2,600 rpm and torque of 419 Nm @ 1,600 – 2,600 rpm. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 

Making matters even more straight forward for Marty is the selection of Isuzu’s six-speed manual transmission. The fuel efficiencies of a manual transmission made plenty sense given the application and environment. ​ 

“We chose the manual transmission and it’s been great. It drives well, it's comfortable, and I love it. For getting the job done and what purpose the truck serves, it couldn't be any better! 

“You only need a car license to drive it, so it's accessible to the whole team. That was a major advantage when it came to picking an Isuzu truck - it's so convenient.” 

The driving style and accessibility is not the only aspect that appealed to Marty. ​ 

“We can chuck piping on top. We can store so much on the tray. The truck has got ladder racks you just jump in and away you go. 

“The Tradepack lets us load four jobs in the back. Now we can have four lots of ducting and air conditioning, meaning we can just deliver on site to each house without stopping in between.” 

The ‘King of Cool’ 

The Isuzu dealership Tracserv, located in Dubbo, came through for Marty when he made the switch last year to a truck rather than relying on multiple utes. 

Marty's business is expanding to meet not only the demands of the industry but also his enterprising spirit and opportunities for his family as his children enter into apprenticeships and begin to undertake trades. ​ 

“We've got growing pains at the moment because of the business expansions happening along with supporting five apprentices.” 

“The new Tradepack helps because it is more effective and more efficient to deliver product to the job sites – this minimises our manpower to get it there compared to using multiple utes and multiple trips,” Marty concluded. ​