Team Bios
Payton L. Lockey - Founder and Managing Member
Payton L. Lockey is a Founder and Managing Member of the Vacuum Truck Rentals (VTR) family of companies, headquartered in Richland, MS. He has worked in the environmental industry for over 25 years. He began his career as an environmental geologist with PPM Consultants where he pioneered new methods for vacuum remediation and in situ cleanup of subsurface contamination, establishing PPM as a regional leader in vacuum remediation technology. This work led him to start Vacuum Truck Rentals in the year 2000. VTR has grown into a premier rental provider in the industrial market with 17 locations.
Mr. Lockey has a bachelor’s degree in geology from Millsaps College. He lives in Madison, Miss. with his wife and two children. He is a Life Member of the MS Trucking Association Century Club and a two time Chairman of the Board for the MS Trucking Association Foundation. He is an Eagle Scout and has served on many civic and charity boards in central Mississippi. He is most proud of his time as Chairman of the Amanda W. Lockey Foundation which supports pancreatic cancer research and has funded two clinical trials to date.
B.T. Steadman - Founder and Managing Member
B.T. Steadman is a Founder and Managing Member of the Vacuum Truck Rentals (VTR) family of companies, headquartered in Richland, MS. He holds a BBA in banking and finance from Mississippi State University.
B.T. began his career in the real estate and construction business as a home builder. He also became a licensed appraiser and real estate broker and spent time in construction management before forming Vacuum Truck Services.
An Eagle Scout, he serves on the Executive Board of the Andrew Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is a past recipient of the Silver Beaver Award and a Second Century Society Member of the Boys Scouts of America. He is also on the boards of the Amanda W. Lockey Foundation, the Foundation for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Washington, D.C.-based Truck Rental and Leasing Association (TRALA). He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for TRALA for the 2021-22 term.
B.T. enjoys hunting, fishing, shooting sports and travel. He is married with two children.
Bill Gaff – Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Bill Gaff has worked in the environmental industry for over 40 years starting out as a service technician at then Peabody Myers (Vactor Manufacturing and a subsidiary of Federal Signal). He has held various management positions including, President of The Air and Water Group of Federal Signal which included Vactor Mfg., Guzzler and Jetstream. Bill also held the positions of President of Vactor Manufacturing, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Vice President of Industrial Products and Vice President of Strategic Sales. He has a bachelor's degree in finance and business administration from Illinois State University and graduated from the Executive Program of the University of Michigan. He served on the WJTA-IMCA Board of Directors as Chairman of the Board for 10 years.
In 2010 Bill joined the Vacuum Truck Rentals team as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Bill has been married for over 40 years and has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. He has been active in his local community serving on the YMCA Board, United Way Board, and Chamber of Commerce Board where he was a two-term president.
Mike Suiter - Vice President of Strategic Accounts
Mike Suiter has been in the vacuum truck sales, rental, service and parts business since 1998. He began his career selling hydraulic tools, vacuum truck parts and supplies, and providing training for Confined Space Entry in the state of Michigan.
Training under industry leaders, Mike developed customer-focused approach to problem solving and service to business owners and operators. In 2011, Mike became a national account representative to some of the country's largest vacuum truck fleets with a focus on life cycle costing of vacuum trucks, fleet allocation, specification development and training.
In 2017, Mike joined Vacuum Truck Rentals as the General Manager of the Michigan office. Since joining VTR, Mike has continued his work with national accounts, developing sales programs for used equipment and equipment disposal programs. In 2024 Mike transitioned over to his new role at VTR of Vice President of Strategic Accounts.
Mike is married to his wife and childhood sweetheart, has two sons and a crazy German Shorthaired Pointer named Drew. In his spare time, he enjoys coaching, playing tennis and listening to Southern rock and blues.
Ty Rose - Regional Operations
Ty Rose began his career in the sawmill industry before becoming a vacuum truck operator and service technician. He then oversaw vacuum truck rental operations for 3 branches before taking a General Manager position then as a Vice President of Fleet & Vacuum Operations.
Ty brings 21 years of experience in the vacuum truck and heavy equipment industries having served in senior leadership positions, sales and technician roles. In 2020 Ty started at Vacuum Truck Rentals as the branch manager of the Northeast offices in NJ, MA, and MD. In 2024 Ty transitioned over to the Northern Regional Operations Manager overseeing offices in the North and Northeast including IL, IN, MI, WV, MD, NJ, and MA.
Brian Lowry - Regional Operations
Brian Lowry brings 26 years of experience as a technician and manager in the retail service and operations field. Prior to joining Vacuum Truck Rentals, LLC, Brian served in the United States Marine Corps and worked in the automotive repair industry. He achieved the highest level of certification available, Ford Senior Master Technician by completing more than 550 hours of schooling, completing multiple levels of training and certification, including hundreds of hours of hands-on training and testing.
In 2012, he joined Vacuum Truck Rentals, LLC. During his tenure at Vacuum Truck Rentals, Brian has held many positions across VTR's family of companies including Service Manager, Branch Manager, Operations Manager. In 2024 Brian transitioned to Southern Regional Operations Manager overseeing offices in VA, SC, FL, AL, MS, LA, and TX.
Brian has coached youth and school sports for 25 years earning certifications from USYS, US Soccer, and The National Federation of State High School Associations. He has served on various local community boards including the Executive Council for the Mississippi Soccer Association for 16 years. In his spare time, Brian enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.