Quad Cities Hi-Lite

October 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Quad Cities branch is one of the three original locations of MH Equipment.  Now located in Davenport, Iowa, their beginnings started in downtown Moline, Illinois, however in 1976, a fire destroyed the Moline location and the branch relocated to East Moline where it remained until June of 2008 when they moved to their current location.

Nearly fifty employees make up the team at the Quad Cities branch including; Material Handling Specialist, Chuck Freeland, Aftermarket Representatives, Bill Baker and Mark Meyer, and Rental Manager, Jacob Greenwalt.  The Davenport branch includes a very large territory that spans over 320 miles from the southern most to northern most corners of the territory so these guys have a lot of land to cover when out on their daily sales calls.  To put it in perspective it would take six hours to drive from corner to corner of the territory!

Part of our mission at MH Equipment is to support the communities in which we live.  As part of that culture the Quad Cities branch are annual supporters of the Quad Cities Festival of Trees.  The Festival of Trees is the annual fundraiser for Quad City Arts, a local not-for-profit arts agency. It takes more than 3,500 volunteers,  over 650 designers, nearly 3,500 CenterStage entertainers, and over 150 Sponsors help to make Festival of  Trees possible. Festival has a $2.5 million dollar economic impact on the community and is recognized as one of the top events in North America, raising over $4 million dollars in support of local arts over a 20 year period. Over 100,000 people experience Festival annually, making it one of the largest attractions in the Quad Cities. This fundraiser makes it possible for Quad City Arts to provide quality arts programming year round for residents of six counties in Eastern Iowa and Western IL.

For the last seven years, Davenport has sponsored Upward Basketball for Underprivileged Kids. Upward Sports provides a fun kids sports experience based on healthy competition.  Upward Sports is one the world’s largest Christian sports league for children with leagues in nearly every major city.

The Quad Cities is home to John Deere Corporate Headquarters, the John Deere Classic at the TPC Deere Run, and the John Deere Commons which houses historical information on the company as well as a vintage 1900’s Deere dealership. Visitors to the Quad Cities also frequent the Rock Island Arsenal. During the civil war, the island was used as a prison camp, but today is utilized for production of military equipment such as the Howitzer & Abrams Tank.

Even though Davenport has a large group they are a very close-knit, supportive bunch!  Not only is the Quad Cities a great branch to work at but the area is full of fun and historic activities that can be enjoyed by the entire family!

Sources:

http://quadcityarts.com/fot_about.asp

http://www.upward.org/

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cincinnati Hi-Lite

July 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Cincinnati branch has a long history in the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and South East Indiana markets. MH Equipment Cincinnati originally opened in 1934 when the Al Bode and Ray Finn families came together to form the Bode Finn Company.

Prior to becoming the Bode Finn Company, the Finn family made Aluminum Ice Wagon Bodies used to deliver ice to families and businesses to refrigerate food. Al Bode’s Grandfather made wagons used in the circus and they can be seen today at the Ringling Museum of Art in Saratoga, Florida.

The Bode Finn Company was purchased a number of times in the late ninety’s and finally became MH Equipment in September of 2003. MH Equipment Cincinnati currently has 48 employees, housing employees from the following departments Parts, Service, Rental, New, Used, Training, Railking, JCB Construction, Marketing and one President.

Cincinnati is one of the few branches designated as a re-build center. We are equipped with a state of the art paint booth which enables us to safely and professionally prepare used equipment from a mechanical and cosmetic standpoint. It is not uncommon for a customer to comment that a completed piece of used equipment looks like new. Our used equipment technicians, Jeff Cutter and Tim Whittington, have been providing MH Equipment salesmen and customers with quality equipment for the past six years.

The Cincinnati branch is fortunate to administer the General Motors parts contract which has helped to provide the branch and company with good net profit. Mark Hoerst and Shanell Jones have done a great job managing this account along with their other everyday duties. They process parts orders and bi-monthly invoices for 62 General Motors plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. We are currently looking forward to a contract extension with General Motors to take us into 2011.

From a personal stand point, many Cincinnati branch employees are living a culture of giving back to their local communities. Cincinnati employees have participated in the Right to Life, Hospice of Hamilton, donations to St. Josephs Orphanage, the local food pantry, American Cancer Society, participated in building improvements at local churches, volunteering as a football director, assistant soccer coach, assistant baseball coach, and much more. It is obvious that Cincinnati branch employees believe in People, Passion and Purpose.

When you get a chance to visit the Cincinnati branch you may also want to plan your trip around the following places of interest –

Kings Island, The Beach Water Park, Cincinnati Zoo, Newport Aquarium, Natural History Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, The Creation Museum,  Krohn Conservatory, River Downs, Riverboat Casinos and much more. After a day of fun you can dine at one of following restaurants which are well known Cincinnati eateries – Montgomery Inn Ribs, Skyline Chili, Larosa’s Pizza and Graters Ice Cream.

There are many benefits to living and working in Cincinnati but for families with children, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital ranks right up at the top of the list. The Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of only eight pediatric hospitals in the United States to be included in the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Reports 2010 Best Children’s Hospitals. When it comes to your children’s medical care, Cincinnati is the place to live.

We look forward to 2011 and hope that all MH Equipment employees have a safe and happy New Year!

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , , ,

Top F-I-V-E!

June 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

You know by know that MH Equipment is BIG into safety. We talk about it a lot, around here and you might be wondering which branches have the highest safety records. You’ve seen posts about some of our branches reaching momentous milestones and achieving safety awards…so out of 27 locations, the top 5 branches as far as safety goes are:

  • Calvert City: 3882 safe days.
  • Eldridge: 3760 safe days.
  • Cedar Rapids: 2644 safe days.
  • Bowling Green 2094 safe days.
  • Grand Island: 1708 safe days.

A big “Thank You” goes out to all employees working within these top 5 branches for being Safe in the Moment.

[note: safe days recorded on 05-12-11]

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite, Safe in the Moment Tagged with , , , , , ,

Branch Highlight Answers

June 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

(1) Which branch has moved 4 times?

Eldridge

(2) Which branch is connected with an Industrial Supply company?

Des Moines is connected with Iowa Machinery.

(3) The Soybean Capital of the world is home to which MH Equipment branch?

Decatur

(4) How many employees does the Dayton Branch have?

32

(5)  John Wieland purchased this branch in April of 1994.

Danville

(6) Located in the heart of Distribution Warehousing and the Sand Capital of the world is…

Ottawa

(7) This branch is located near the Amana Colonies, an area of interest near their location.

Cedar Rapids

(8) __________ is located in ‘beautiful Bluegrass Country.’

Lexington

(9) This branch has 4 employees that have 20+ years of experience.

Charleston

(10) During 1993 and 2008, this branch experienced the flooding in which they “narrowly escaped.”

Ottumwa

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite

Branch Hi-Lite Quiz

June 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

How well do you know MH Equipment? Here is a short quiz that will test your knowledge about some of our branches. Comment answers below, and we will post the answers in a couple hours. Good Luck!

(1) Which MH Equipment branch has moved 4 times?

(2) Which branch is connected with an Industrial Supply company?

(3) The Soybean Capital of the world is home to which MH Equipment branch?

(4) How many employees does the Dayton Branch have?

(5)  John Wieland purchased this branch in April of 2004.

(6) Located in the heart of Distribution Warehousing and the Sand Capital of the world is…

(7) This branch is located near the Amana Colonies, an area of interest near their location.

(8) __________ is located in ‘beautiful Bluegrass Country.’

(9) This branch has 4 employees that have 20+ years of experience.

(10) During 1993 and 2008, this branch experienced the flooding in which they “narrowly escaped.”

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , , , ,

East Peoria Hi-Lite

June 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Peoria/East Peoria Branch is steeped in the origin of MH Equipment.  For a long period in the company’s history it has been at the root. This may always ring true as it is a part of the very beginning of the MH Equipment story. 

In 1952 a collective group purchased what was then a Hyster Company Store located on South Adams inPeoria.  Within a short period of time the store was moved to 309 N.E.Rock Islandwhere it remained until the fall of 2008 when it took up residency at its current location across the river in East Peoria,Illinois. 

The current larger facility provides a much improved flow between departments and has provided some much needed upgrades because of the space and layout of the facilities.  These enhancements have provided a customer friendly layout which offers greater support and accessibility to parts and service.

One of the other unique characteristics of the branch is its connection with the Illinois Corporate West Division.  The branch and the corporate share the facility together.  The front of the facility provides comfortable home offices that support the company’s region with Sales (New and Resale), Fleet, and Management personnel.

Currently the Peoria/East Peoria Branch consists of one manager, one service coordinator, one parts technician and ten qualified service technicians.  Three of the technicians (Randy Ragle, Frank Christian and Del Rickena) each have over 30 years service at MH Equipment while the remaining technicians have five years or greater.  The sales department consists of two after-market and one new/resale unit salesmen.

Julie Doubet (Service Coordinator) provides the grease and the glue which holds together the Service and Parts Departments as well as serving as the MH Equipment ambassador to the customer base.  If she’s not the face of the Branch, she is its voice. 

Throughout the years the branch has held luncheons or picnic events (normally around the summer and fall holidays) as a means of stepping back at times to regroup and enjoy the moment together, especially in light of the daily grind in which everyone gets caught up in.  These times provide for some lighthearted amusement for everyone. 

Birthdays are normally celebrated by donuts or other special treats.  It is traditional for the person having the birthday to be the provider of the feast.  One individual happens to always ask for his birthday off while the rest of us suffer from withdrawal.  Regardless of the guilty consequences you can expect one day in March going without the much anticipated donut.

Like any branch there are positive and negatives, there are good times and not so good, but overall the branch maintains a good attitude and spirit and understands its part in the MH Equipment big picture of things.

Published in the MH Insider, Spring 2011

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , , , ,

Dayton Hi-Lite

June 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Dayton Branch was first opened in 1945 under the name of the Bode Finn Company. They were located on First Street in Dayton.  The branch then moved toWebster Street for a few years and then in 1973, moved to our current location onProduction Court.

The Bode Finn Company was purchased by Hyster Company in 2000 and became Hyster Mideast. In 2003 John Wieland purchased the company that is now MH Equipment.

MH Dayton currently has 32 employees from the following departments: parts, service, rental, sales, training and telemarketing.  Combined, the Dayton Branch employees have over 500 years of service working for Bode Finn/Hyster Mid East and MH Equipment.

Some fun facts about the Dayton employees:

Howard Waker, our road service, technician has the nickname “Howard the Duck”.  Howard first acquired the name while he was working on an AWP unit at a local GM facility that was undergoing modifications. Howard heard a pipe clinking its way down from above him and quickly “ducked” under the AWP unit just in time to avoid the pipe. Howard found the pipe sticking in the floor right where he was standing.  Later that week at the same location, while standing by a candy machine, once again he “ducked” just in time to keep from getting hit from a stray piece of metal falling from above.  Years later he still has the nickname “Howard the Duck”.

John Lovins, our trainer, and his daughter both have Dodge Dakota pickup trucks that they enjoy working on together and taking to various drag strips across the country.  John has won several national and regional events. He has been seen on ESPN winning national events. John has been a record holder for several years in various classes of drag racing.  He is currently updating his daughter’s truck in search of better performance.

Some local attractions around the Dayton Branch are, Dayton Dragons Professional Baseball, Dayton Gems Hockey and the Dayton Art Institute.Dayton also hosts the Dayton Vectren Air Show each year which brings in world renowned acts like the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds.  A few attractions with free admission and parking are the Wright Patterson Air Force Museum, Allwood Gardens and the Cox Arboretum.

After a day of sightseeing or sports you can refuel at Marion’s Piazza, a Dayton tradition for over 45 years and ranked 2nd in the nation. Marion’s Piazza has several locations through out theDayton area.

Published in the MH Insider, Spring 2011

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , ,

Grand Island Hi-Lite

May 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Grand Island: They’re not just co-workers, they’re neighbors!

The Grand Island Branch was established in 1998 as a Hyster dealer. The branch was acquired by MH in July of 2006. They currently have 9 technicians, a branch/service Manager, a sales representative, a parts manager and an administrative assistant. The branch is located in Grand Island, Nebraska and is unique in that it currently services a majority of the state, sometimes traveling several hours to repair locations. Many of the employees have specialized in the forklift repair business for many years.

Many employees are married and have children. The employees bring great diversity to the branch both with their interests and hobbies. Nebraska is home to the Huskers, the well-known competitive college football team. Besides their interest in football, most of the branch also takes an active interest in car racing. While some are avid watchers, others are actually in the races. Some other interests enjoyed by the employees are ranching, photography and bowling, just to name a few.

The Grand Island Branch takes pride in being devoted to teamwork not only while at work, but also outside of the workplace. A majority of the employees live in the small neighboring town of Cairo. They have known each other for many years and this attributes to their ability to work closely and successfully together. The branch as a whole is successful because of their dedication to the company, their dedication with providing customers the best service possible and their dedication to teamwork. Each person makes a great contribution with their skills and personality. The branch has an excellent record of safety as well. They currently just celebrated close to three years of being accident-free with a branch lunch. Way to go Grand Island!

Published in the MH Insider, Summer 2009

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , , , , ,

Ottawa Hi-Lite

May 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Located in the heart of Distribution Warehousing, in the middle of the Sand Capital of the world, lies the Ottawa Branch. U.S. Silica, Wedron Silica and Technisand are three of the major sand mining industries in the world. U.S. Silica being the largest is located in Ottawa, IL.

Ottawa is a small territory branch that service three counties: LaSalle, Putnam and Bureau. The Ottawa Branch began in 1984 as Illinois Valley Lift Truck (IVLT). They were part of an Allis Chalmers/Komatsu dealership before the owners decided to branch out and start the company. In 1986, the facility that they are currently in was built. MH Equipment acquired the company in 1998 and at that time they had four techs. Today, they have grown to six road techs, a service clerk and a branch/service manager. Later they added a 60′ x 100′ addition that now houses  the service and paint departments. It has an OSHA approved paint both that can fit some of the largest units around. They have had a H360XL and a 4250 Rail King in for painting and they fit with no problem.

In 2000 and 2001, the Ottawa Branch received commendation for Safety Achievement from Three Rivers for working without a recordable injury for both of those years. Three Rivers is an organization that provides required safety training. The technicians are required to have this training before they are allowed to work in some customer facilities. The Ottawa Branch also received a Gold Award in 2001 from Three Rivers for achieving a 25% reduction in OSHA recordable incidence rate as compared to the previous three years.

Fred Milby serves as the branch/service manager. Most of this team has worked together for several years. Each of them puts forth the WIT (Whatever It Takes) effort to get a job done.

Treats are appreciated at the branch. It is agreed among all at the branch that Donna Bayer, the service clerk, makes the best pineapple upside down cake!

Published in the MH Insider, Fall/Winter 2009

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , , , ,

Cedar Rapids Hi-Lite

May 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Cedar Rapids was acquired by MH Equipment with the purchase of Iowa Machinery in 2001. The Cedar Rapids Branch started with two resident technicians in its early stages and has grown to eight technicians, one service manager, one parts manager, one branch manager and one aftermarket salesman. During this time of growth, we purchased a full service hydraulic shop and moved our facility to our current location in 2007. This added an exciting new opportunity in the areas of hydraulic repair and custom tube manufacturing in addition to sales and service of material handling equipment.

Teamwork is what is emphasized at the branch. We have a caring team and through every challenge, whether business or personal, each member is willing to step up and do what it takes to get through it. It takes each of us working together to be successful and Cedar Rapids has been blessed with a great group. Our saying has always been “if you do the right things long enough, good things will happen” and we feel our success over time is a testament to that.

An area of interest close by the Amana Colonies which is a popular attraction located south of Cedar Rapids. Amana is a historical German community established in the mid 1850′s. The name Amana means “remain faithful”. This comunity is like taking a step back in time. It is filled with authentic German restaurants, furniture store, winery, leather shop and more. The area is also known for its entertainment provided by the “Old Creamery Theater” where the staff produces several theatrical productions each year.

The branch’s favorite team is the Iowa Hawkeye football team. Here are a few other tidbits about those who work here.

  • Eric Kraft has the best sense of humor and is said to be a natural born entertainer. He would have been voted class clown in high school and two minutes of conversation with him will explain all you need to know.
  • Mike Baxter has the most grandchildren with six. He also has an usual hobby of frog gigging.
  • The most thoughtful or encouraging person is Bernie Meyer. he often asks customers if they need a drink of cold water when it’s hot. Bernie shows this type of caring attitude with all employees and encourages everyone through his actions.
  • Employees think Dave Treptow would be a good participant on the reality show Survivor because he is willing to do anything and will wear all competitors down by his story telling.
  • Brent Eiselstein is the most athletic. He enjoys running and is training to run a half marathon in October.
  • Two guys at the branch have funny nicknames. Aaron Philips is known as “Big Sexy”. He is big but the rest is anybody’s guess? Brian Dickerson is called “Nugg” because he looks like Ted Nugent.
Published in the MH Insider, Summer 2010

Filed under Branch Hi-Lite Tagged with , ,

← Older posts