In memoriam: Benny McGill

Bennie Roy McGill, a long-time sales and service professional with Idabel, Oklahoma-based off-the-road (OTR) tire producer SETCO, died in late November on the eve of his 74^th birthday.

McGill joined SETCO, originally known as Southeastern Tire Co., after previous stints as a utility lineman and in a sales position with tire company Rockwall Retreads.

In his decades with SETCO, McGill was known for his devotion to in-person sales and follow-up visits with customers in the metals recycling, waste transfer, demolition and other industry sectors that use heavy equipment with OTR tires.

“Bennie represented the best of the best,” SETCO President Buck Hill tells Recycling Today. “He was a salt of the earth man; honest, fair and full of integrity. He helped form SETCO’s customer-driven approach from the very early years.”

Continues Hill, “Much more a technician than a salesperson, Bennie always had the customers’ best interest in mind and balanced that with what was right for the company. He never wanted to disappoint a customer, which is why so many loved Bennie.”

His professional legacy will continue, according to Hill, who comments, “Bennie helped to train so many of the people at SETCO, and he instilled in them our customer-driven approach, something that was so very important to him.”

McGill maintained a regular presence for decades at recycling and waste sector trade shows, often conversing about cattle ranching conditions he faced back home in Oklahoma and usually joined by his wife of more than 40 years Rita, who preceded him in death in 2016.

According to an obituary posted to the Hale’s Funeral Homes website, McGill was a lifelong resident of Sulphur, Oklahoma. In his younger years, he worked as a reserve officer for the Murray County Sheriff's Department and worked as a bouncer at two different venues in the Sulphur area.

Although “family was foremost in Bennie’s life,” according to the obituary, the writeup also notes, “Bennie McGill never met a stranger. He could and would talk to anyone about anything. He was one that believed a handshake sealed a deal and a man’s word was his bond.”

In addition to his professional and family interests, McGill and his brother Jimmy were avid practitioners of barbequing and making homemade ice cream, according to the writeup, and, “Bennie was a very dedicated member of the Murray County Antique Tractor and Implement Club. He and Rita were part of the founding members and worked tirelessly to keep the club going.”

McGill is survived by his daughter Kerrie, son Mitch, four grandsons, one sister and one brother.