Sales Success Story
  Fredon Handling
  with Pentalift Equipment
  Corporation

Brian Allen

Don't forget to put the next major industry event on your calendar, MHEDA's Annual Convention in Palm Desert, CA, May 2-6. The industry's movers and shakers will meet for MHEDA's 54th Annual Convention & Exhibitors' Showcase to help members with Powerful Positioning. Visit this page for details.

New Chief Performance Officer To Hold Boss
and Employees Accountable

Taking a cue from MHEDA members and other business owners who have prepared their companies for the economic turmoil of 2009, President-Elect Barack Obama created a new White House position called "Chief Performance Officer." The duties of this position include setting performance standards, making government more efficient and holding agency managers accountable for progress. The CPO will primarily work to curb spending and keep the government on budget. Obama named Nancy Killefer to the position. Killefer is a senior director for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. She was an assistant secretary of the treasury in the Clinton administration.

Material Handling Professions in Job Study

A study done by CareerCast.com, reported in The Wall Street Journal on January 6, listed the "best and worst occupations in the United States." The findings are based on 5 criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. The study also considered pay. The results are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, as well as studies from trade associations and individual experience. The best job? Mathematician. As noted in the story, this job was ranked number one because mathematicians typically work in favorable conditions—indoors and places free of noise and toxic fumes. Mathematicians also don’t do heavy lifting, crawling or crouching—attributes associated with occupations such as firefighter and plumber. The worst job? Lumberjack. The pay is low and the work is very dangerous. The study ranks the occupations of "industrial machine repairer" and "forklift operator" numbers 77 and 124, respectively. You can read the complete story here.

Wynright Corporation’s Elk Grove, IL, facility

Name Change at WEI (Elk Grove, IL) • Warehouse Equipment, Inc. changed its name and consolidated with 6 affiliated companies. The company is now known as Wynright Corporation. It is composed of two divisions, Wynright Engineers & Integrators and Wynright Products. Wynright Engineers & Integrators includes the former WEI integration offices as well as ASG–the systems integration group for Automotion Conveyors. Wynright Products is comprised of Automotion Conveyors, Midco Mezzanines, Lighthouse Selection/CAPS, Triad Automation and AutoExec Software, all of which will continue to go to market under their current brand names.

Papé Makes Acquisition (Eugene, OR) • Papé Material Handling acquired certain assets of three Bobcat dealerships, which will be added to its Bobcat West locations. The dealerships are located in Reno, NV, and Portland and Hubbard, OR. The purchase was closed December 31. "These acquisitions will ensure that even more Bobcat customers in Oregon and Nevada will be able to experience Papé's outstanding sales, service and support," says President Chris Wetle.

Excel Appoints New President (East Stroudsburg, PA) • Michael Albers replaced Charles Grunner as president/CEO of Excel Storage Products. Albers joined Excel in 2005 as vice president, and in July 2008, he was promoted to chief operating officer. In his new position, Albers will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.

Kuecker Changes Name (Belton, MO) • Kuecker Equipment Company is now Kuecker Logistics Group. The change in name coincided with the company's move into its new Belton, MO, headquarters. The change reflects the company's transition from its beginning as an equipment sales company to the high-level logistical solutions provider it is today.

Robert G. Arnold In Sympathy MHEDA Past President Robert G. Arnold Robert G. Arnold, former CEO of Arnold Machinery Company (Salt Lake City, UT), passed away January 3. Mr. Arnold was a successful businessman and a devoted advocate for the industry he spent his life serving. In 1960 he became MHEDA’s fifth president, and he also completed a stint at the helm of the Associated Equipment Distributors. Even after retiring from Arnold Machinery after 50 years, Mr. Arnold was still proud of his industry. Never was this more evident than at MHEDA's 2005 Convention when he spoke on the growth of the association. "It's difficult to describe the pleasure and excitement I have for MHEDA 2005 compared to the small meeting in Chicago 50 years ago," he said. Mr. Arnold's life involved much more than just his career. He was actively involved in his community as a director of Continental Bank, Nelson Ricks Creamery and Howe Building Products. He also was president of the United Way of Salt Lake, the Salt Lake Rotary Club and the Alta Club. The University of Utah honored him with its Emeritus Alumni Association Merit of Honor Award and he sat on the school of business' Advisory Board. Mr. Arnold was married for 63 years to his wife Margaret, who pre-deceased him in 2004. He is survived by three children: Margaret, Buff (Joy) and Bill. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Henry's Fork Foundation. William J. "Joe" Ferguson William "Joe" Ferguson passed away December 25 in his Washington, NC, home. After a stint in the United States Navy on board the USS North Carolina, Mr. Ferguson entered the material handling industry. He would spend the rest of his life serving the industry, working for Dillon Supply Co., Gregory Poole Equipment Company and Dougherty Equipment Company. Mr. Ferguson was an expert salesman who had the respect of his customers and his peers. LiftOne VP/GM Bill Ryan explains, "Joe embodied the essence of 'customer first' and his customers were as devoted to him as he was to them." Mr. Ferguson is survived by his wife Jean, daughters Elizabeth and Patricia, and sons Robert and William. The family asks that any memorials be made to the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center General Fund. Crown Mourns Loss of Three Employees A December 16 automobile accident injured two and claimed the lives of three more Crown Equipment Company employees who were returning from a meeting in Greencastle, IN. Robert Roetgerman, 61; Brian Waterman, 23; and Michael Group, 45, died when the driver lost control of their vehicle causing it to slide into oncoming traffic. Douglas Bornhorst, 32, and Matt Otto, 37, were injured in the collision. In an interview with The Evening Leader in St. Mary's, OH, Crown VP of Human Resources Randy Niekamp said, "Right now we are trying to work through this and give our employees and the families of the three all of the support we can." As part of that support, grief counselors were available to employees at both the Greencastle and New Bremen facilities in the days following the accident.

Fredon Gives Twice the Solution at Half the Cost

It is one thing to offer a customer a great material handling solution, but offering something that literally cuts their project cost in half is taking service to a whole different level. That is exactly what Fredon Handling (Jackson, MI) and Pentalift Equipment Corporation teamed up to do for a small Midwestern auto parts supplier.

For years the customer had been operating out of the same warehouse and unloading supplies from its one standard loading dock. Unfortunately, when a new product line was taken on, their dock proved inadequate. The product was large and had to be transported on a low-boy trailer, which didn’t line up with the dock height. There were two options for the customer—excavate their building and install a new dock or figure out a way to make their existing dock work.

The customer figured that to excavate the building and install a new dock would cost upwards of $70,000, much more than they hoped to spend. Out of ideas, they turned to their longtime material handling provider Brad Wait at Fredon Handling. Wait introduced them to Pentalift’s line of truck levelers. Much more than a simple dock leveler, the TLS24060 truck leveler would raise up the entire low-boy trailer, elevating it to dock height.

To get the job done, Wait called on Pentalift National Sales Manager Mike Boyle for help. Wait knew that by teaming with Pentalift, he would be able to provide the customer with not only the truck leveler, but a complete turnkey solution. This included the truck leveler, restraint, dock leveler, inflatable seal and control panel. All of these items also would have to work in sequence, and that was where Boyle came in. "Mike was very helpful. It was mainly him answering the technical questions because he had so much experience with the truck levelers," says Wait.

When it came time to perform the installation, Wait was right in the middle of it. "They are located not too far from us so, fortunately, I was able to be involved in the day-to-day installation." Everything went smoothly—even the shipping of the leveler which had to be done during the day on its own flatbed—and the installation was completed on schedule. The final price tag was $35,000, exactly half of what it would’ve cost to install a whole new dock. That’s something the customer certainly won't forget.

2009 Educational Offerings
MHEDA University has a variety of opportunities to meet all of your training needs. View the complete 2009 MHEDA University schedule here. MHEDA is excited to offer every employee in your company access to online training. Access to the 12 sales podcasts and 22 online customer service training sessions—each a $149 value—is an exclusive no-cost benefit for MHEDA Members. To access these programs, visit this page.

Another exclusive benefit for MHEDA Members is a no-cost webinar presented by Herb Greenberg and Harold Weinstein of Caliper. This webinar will provide a practical and straightforward approach to understanding why some people succeed and others, who looked like they had great promise when hired or promoted, simply don’t live up to expectations. Visit this page for more details.

TrainOne Online Facilitated Sales and Customer Service Training
MHEDA is now offering its members access to online sales and customer service training programs presented by Jeffrey Gitomer. This series of 20- to 30-minute Web-based interactive courses challenges you to reach the next level of success as a sales professional. The material is engaging, easily transferable to the real world and geared towards the learner. Pricing is available for as little as $319 per person. For more details, visit this page.

Mystery Shopper: Customer Service for Front Line Employees
January 22, April 9, July 9 and October 8, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CT
Jim Facente, President, Creative Sales Solutions
As a mystery shopping and sales training company, CSS has mystery-shopped thousands of equipment company employees around the country. Learn in this no-cost webinar how top employees handle being “mystery shopped.” Attendees of this webinar will learn how to immediately impress a customer and make them want to do business with them. Visit this page for more details.

Convention Early Bird Discount Ends February 2 • Start 2009 off right by getting your Convention registration form to MHEDA by Monday, February 2, and save $200 per Member registration, plus $70 off spouse registration. MHEDA’s 54th Annual Convention will take place May 2-6, 2009, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, CA. This year’s theme, "Powerful Positioning," is centered on giving you the tools you need to weather a challenging and ever-changing economy. Now more than ever, it is critical to maintain a position of strength, determination and resilience. Don’t miss this powerful event. Register today! For details, visit this page or call 847-680-3500.

Special Convention Offer for Distributor Members • As a special offer exclusively for Distributor Members, we are happy to extend a free registration for one person in your company who has never been to Convention (with one paid registration). Please note: This offer is limited to the first 50 people who respond. For more details, visit this page or call 847-680-3500.

2009 Distributor Performance Benchmarking Survey Begins in January • Once again, MHEDA will kick off the 2009 Distributor Performance Benchmarking Survey later this month. Survey questionnaires will be mailed to both Industrial Truck and Storage and Handling distributor members on January 15 and should be completed and submitted to Profit Planning Group no later than March 15.

This survey is a free member service, and the results provide a wealth of financial and operating guidelines along with providing direct comparisons to your firm, but you must participate in the survey to receive a free copy of the results. For more details, contact MHEDA at 847-680-3500.

New MHEDA-NET Group • Ever wish you had a way to network with other material handling professionals who face similar daily challenges? Now is your chance. Sign up today to be part of a new Young Distributors MHEDA-NET group designed for career-oriented professionals in their 20’s and 30’s. This is a great opportunity to share ideas and experiences among peers in a confidential teleconference setting. Encourage your peers and employees to take part in this valuable networking opportunity! For more information regarding MHEDA-NET, visit our Web site at www.mheda.org or contact Natalie Cobb by e-mail, ncobb@mheda.org, or by phone at 847-680-3500.

Missed a Webinar in 2008? • Several MHEDA University programs have been recorded and are now available for purchase for only $99 each—discounted from the regular $149. The webinar recording and handout material will be sent to you on a CD. Please click here for a list of all the programs available to you and the date they were originally presented.

Material Handling & The Military • Has your company done any work in a combat zone? Are any of your employees or co-workers serving a tour of duty? The MHEDA Journal wants to know about it! Please contact editor@themhedajournal.org or call Chris Powers at 315-445-2347 with details.

Dozens of member companies have earned a 25% to 100% rebate on their MHEDA dues by helping recruit new distributor members. Now the Dues Rebate Program has been expanded to include recruitment of Supplier/Associate members. We know a peer-to-peer recommendation is MHEDA’s best advertisement, so we are pleased to show our appreciation by providing this valuable incentive.

Here's how it works. When a company joins MHEDA on your recommendation and lists you as their sponsor, MHEDA will refund 25% of your company’s paid membership dues. You can recruit up to four new members in 2009 and get 100% of your company’s membership dues back in rebates.

If you would like MHEDA to contact a colleague on your behalf regarding membership, contact Kathy Cotter at 847-680-3500 or by e-mail at kcotter@mheda.org.