About Us
With beginnings in the business over 40 years ago, SEMI supplies equipment all across the US and Canada.
Family-owned from the start until present, SEMI is more than just an equipment company, striving to be a partner providing equipment-based solutions. Our mission is to help your project to be done in a safe, timely manner, and come in under budget. We focus on the relationship, not just the transaction, offering a tailored solution from two-way communication, rather than an off-the-shelf solution.
At SEMI, we believe in giving back to the industry and our community. We host a fundraiser to provide scholarships for children and grandchildren of people in our industry, cook for other companies to help funding efforts in the communities they serve, as well as many other scholarship events, and 3 yearly events with Pipeliners Association of Houston.
Our History
JW Gully began working in the pipeline business in 1966 with Harbert Construction in Gonzales, Louisiana. He later went to work for the Houston Contracting Company, and over the next five years moved to Vice President of procurement and maintenance of equipment for worldwide projects. In that role, he made frequent trips to visit projects in the Middle East, South America, & West Africa.
JW founded Sunbelt Tractor & Equipment Company in Houston, Texas on Friday June 13, 1980 to lease and sell pipeline equipment. That is when he became a member of the Rocky Mountain Pipeline Contractors Association, which later became APCA. In 2001 he moved the company to College Station, Texas.
In 2005 JW sold Sunbelt Tractor & Equipment Company to his son, Kevin Gully, and nephew, Brooks Gully, and activated Sunbelt Equipment Marketing Inc to manufacture pipe trailers, flotation wagons, and other miscellaneous units.
In 2023, Sunbelt Equipment Marketing Inc became a woman-owned business when JW sold SEMI to his daughter, Bridget Ann Fry.
“What makes SEMI unique is the wealth of knowledge that comes from being in the field. Their team is made up of people, who themselves, have worked on pipelines spanning many generations. This insight enables them to better serve their customers.”
— Pipeline Magazine
Our Story
Founder JW Gully rises to Vice President of procurement and equipment maintenance at Houston Contracting Company, overseeing equipment for pipeline projects across the Middle East, South America, and West Africa.
JW Gully founds Sunbelt Tractor & Equipment in Houston, Texas to lease and sell pipeline equipment.
Sunbelt Equipment Marketing, Inc. is founded to manufacture pipe trailers, flotation wagons, and other specialized units.
SEMI introduces crawlers to the North American pipeline construction industry with the IHI IC-45 model.
SEMI innovates, introduces, and supports customer initiatives with specialized equipment solutions across the energy, civil, utility, and environmental markets.