Meet Mitch Holland | Aftermarket Sales Representative – Dayton, OH

January 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Mitch Holland is our Aftermarket Representative in Dayton, OH and has been with the company 29 YEARS!!

Mitch started out at a competitor before coming to Bode Finn in 1983 which became Hyster Mideast and eventually MH Equipment.

“My expertise is has  been in the parts area – that’s where I first started in the business before moving into the sales department.”  He says his proudest sales experience was setting up and managing a large parts consignment at the GM plant in Dayton, OH for many years.

Mitch’s wife Nancy is an RN at Miami Valley Hospital and they have 2 children.  His son Ryan and his wife Kristi have given Mitch 3 little grandchildren – Haley, Coby, and Brady.  His daughter Brittany attends college at Cleveland State University where she is studying speech therapy.  Brittany is also an avid volleyball player and Mitch and his wife really enjoy spending time together traveling to her volleyball games.

When Mitch has extra time he likes to play softball, go bowling and fishing, and watch the Cincinnati Reds or Miami Dolphins play.

“What I like most about working at MH Equipment is that all the people are committed to their jobs.  Everyone enjoys helping others –  I can say they are my friends and we all work together to make MH Equipment a great place to work.   It’s nice to work for a company that cares about me as a person and understands about family life – that’s always a good feeling to have about a company.”

 

 

 

 

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Shawn Canfield | Aftermarket Sales Representative – Evansville, IN

January 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Today we would like to introduce you to Mr. Shawn Canfield.  Shawn came to MH Equipment in early 2011 and is an Aftermarket Sales Representative in the Evansville, IN territory.

“After 20 years in the aftermarket automotive accessories field, I realized that I was ready for more of a challenge, so I entered the industrial equipment industry. I started in the industry with Equipment Depot (formerly Levee Lift) as a Product Support Representative and was promoted to Field Service Manager.  However, due to the economic downturn, my position was eliminated. What I thought was a bad thing turned into a very good thing. I was able to apply for a position with MH Equipment. After meeting with Chad Brocious and John Kinder, I felt very comfortable with the culture and philosophy of MH Equipment and knew that I wanted to be of part of it.”

Shawn says that the most rewarding part of his job so far has been the freedom that MH Equipment has given him to refine his sales skills and step into new territories that he has never been given the opportunity to explore before. He adds, “It’s important to be able to talk to people and understand their needs. I believe that when you develop a relationship and are able to communicate with them at a level everyone is comfortable with, you are able to focus more on the need and less on the translation. It’s a very satisfying experience to make current customer relationships stronger and also have the opportunity to develop new ones.”

The most unique product application Shawn has been faced with was an ordinance handler that he proposed to the United States Navy. “They needed an ordinance handler that would pick up a vertical 2000lb, 16 ” diameter bomb and lay it into a horizontal bomb cradle. We were able to come up with the design and the safety features to insure that the load was not released until it was in the cradle.”

Shawn has been married to his wife Penny for almost 16 years.  Together they have 3 children – two sons – Kaelin who is 14 and Christian who is 11 and a 4-year-old daughter, Kiersten. “In the summer we like to take weekend trips. We also like to camp and fish. When the weather is cold, we like to hang around the house and play games as a family.”

Shawn says he never really grew up when it comes to electronics.  “In reality I’m still a kid when it comes to new gadgets and games. I even went as far as going to the Consumer Electronics Trade Show (CES) in 2001. So I guess if there was one thing that people don’t know about me, it would be the fact that I am still a video game nerd.”

“I enjoy the freedom that MH gives me to develop my sales ability and the opportunity to build my business on the needs of my region. More often than not, companies try to make everything uniform along with their employees. MH Equipment recognizes that not all customers are the same and must be treated on an individual basis, and insures that MH personnel understand, nurture and promote that.”

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Meet Jamie Coon | Material Handling Specialist – Indianapolis, IN

January 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We are proud to welcome Jamie Coon to the MH Equipment Family!  As one of newest Material Handling Specialists, Jamie has been with the company for about 5 months and works out of the Indianapolis, IN branch.

Before joining MH Equipment, Jamie worked as a Sales and Design Engineer for a company that focused on specialized equipment design and prototype development.  “I came to MH Equipment through the recommendation of a friend and neighbor that also works here and thought it would be a great fit for me.”

Jamie and his wife Tina have 2 children – a daughter, Kristen, who is 17 years old and a son, Kolin, who is 11 years old.  “We spend much of our time at various sporting events and enjoy our summers on the lake.  I pay a great deal of attention to my health so I spend a lot of time exercising at the gym and trying to keep myself in shape.  I also coach with a local High School football team so much of my spare time centers on sports related activities.  My 11 year old son really enjoys being involved and being around the team so we spend a lot of time together in those settings.”

Jamie says his favorite sports team – without a doubt – is the New York Yankees. “I was born and raised in New York and it has been implanted in my DNA from birth that the sun rises and sets at Yankee Stadium.  I have found this to be true as I pass this family tradition on to my son.”

Jamie says his most satisfying experience as a Material Handling Specialist thus far has been the complete sales cycle and install of four new class II N35ZR trucks for a customer who is in the beginning stages of cycling out twenty-one competitors trucks.

Building fast and long standing relationships with customers has always been Jamie’s strong suit. “I have been very fortunate in my life to work with several different types of personalities and have developed the ability to adapt and find ways to best communicate with those people.  People buy from people they like and I have always focused on building a relationship first.  This has allowed me be very successful in penetrating accounts and allowing my design and engineering background to come to light.  It allows my thoughts and recommendations to be more credible and reliable.”

In his short time here at MH Equipment, Jamie says that he hasn’t experienced any real out of the ordinary application situations.  Most have been paper mills and warehouses.  “I’m still searching frantically for that unique opportunity!”

When asked what one famous person in history he would like to have dinner with, and why, Jamie responded:  “There are a few that come to mind but the one that sticks out the most to me is John Kennedy.  His vision, leadership and inspiration  he gave to so many people was ahead of its time and ground breaking.  He came from great wealth and family tradition but made it alright to be a common man and want/deserve all that you can.  He showed us all what could be as a whole instead of as an individual.  We all have a great responsibility to a greater cause.”

“The one thing that always surprises people about me is that I am an avid acoustic guitar player.  I have been at it for almost 25 years now.  It is something I try to do for at least 30 minutes every day now.  It used to be more than that but not enough time in the day.  It is a great form of relaxation for me.  Every once in a while I will bring it out to a group of people and the shock on their faces is great.”

Jamie says the people he works with every day is what he likes most about MH Equipment.  “Everyone works together as a group to better the company and is willing to help one other achieve success for the company.”

 

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Meet Bob Traxel | Material Handling Specialist – St. Louis, MO

December 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

 

Bob Traxel is one of our newest Material Handling Specialists in the St. Louis area.  Bob has a diverse background in the Military as an F-18 mechanic and test engineer while in the Marines and most recently as a broadcast journalist and public affairs manager in the Army.  His military adventures have taken him to Georgia, Texas, Afghanistan, and Iraq.  Before that Bob served for seven years as a police officer and detective in the St. Louis area.  Bob came to MH Equipment as he was transitioning out of the Army and actually started just two days after being discharged!

Bob has only been with MH about two months but he’s already had quite an exciting time!  He closed his first sale just this week on a Hyster H155FT for a rigging company in the area.  Bob says he truly enjoys working with the customers and learning what their material handling needs are.  He recognized no one customer is the same and enjoys the opportunity to piece their unique puzzle together and face the challenge of improving their operations.

Although he is still learning the ins and outs of the material handling business Bob says he is ready to meet his customers’ needs head on.  Recently he has been tasked with researching and later proposing the requirements to switch a 6-truck LP operation over to electric units.

Bob and his wife Karen recently celebrated their 7 year wedding anniversary.  Together they have four children:  Joshua, Grace, Noah, and Johah.   As a family they love to camp and participate in all of the various Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities.  He says now that his children are a little older he likes to involve them in some of his own hobbies – such as – archery, photography, and videography.

Bob is a HUGE fan of the St. Louis Cardinals!  He has followed his home team since he was a youngster.  His father and grandfather always had the Cardinals playing on the T.V. or radio.  He says he grew up with it and has always loved the game.  He’s also a big hockey fan and follows his alma mater – the Liberty Flames and of course his hometown team – the St. Louis Blues!

We asked Bob to share with us something unique that most people don’t know about him.  He said he’s pretty much been an open book for all to see but some people may not know that he has been to 45 of the 50 States and lived in 10 of those states.  He has seen first-hand the effects of an atomic weapon when he lived in Japan, and his favorite place to visit (and hopefully retire to someday) is Pensacola, FL.  (Bring on the commissions!)

Recently Bob saw some of his b-roll on 60 Minutes for approximately 20 seconds for a segment of “Operation Proper Exit”. This operation was a way to get these warriors closure in their abrupt exit. Their courage is amazing, as is their sacrifice. He said you won’t see or hear him in this segment - but it was his video!  The video was originally taken from a story Bob completed when he escorted these men out of his area of operation.  You can see his story at HERE.

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Meet Bob Wening | Material Handling Specialist – St. Louis, MO

December 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Bob joined the MH Equipment team in August of 2011 as a Yale Equipment Material Handling Specialist for the Mid-St. Louis/Southern Missouri territory.

Bob and his wife Deborah live in Hillsboro, MO and have a son, Matthew, who is attending graduate school in Memphis, TN.

It goes without saying that Bob is a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.  He thinks it will be an interesting challenge for the World Champions to respond without that first baseman – what was his name again? (I think it starts with a “P” and ends with a “ujols”??)

Bob’s main focus is on our line of Yale lift trucks.  These trucks are manufactured to be reliable and strong, however since starting at MH his most successful case to date has actually selling a pair of Mariotti trucks. That sale generated additional interest and the opportunity to demo them to other prospects.

His background in Industrial Sales within the material handling marketplace has also helped him to build new relationships with MH Equipment customers.  Bob says he’s really excited about being a part of the MH Equipment team because of the family oriented philosophy and he looks forward to being part of an industry leading company.

MH Equipment offers the entire line of Yale Equipment in our St. Louis, MO and Cincinnati, OH territories. For more information please contact the branch near you today!

 

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Meet Gene Frees | Material Handling Specialist – Omaha, NE

December 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Gene came on board with MH Equipment in January of 2011 in the Parts Department at our Omaha, NE location.  Having experience in the material handling business previously it was his ambition to get back into sales.  In September of 2011 he became our newest Material Handling Specialist in Omaha!

As a Material Handling Specialist, Gene’s focus will be on MH Equipment’s Hyster brand.  Hyster Company offers a complete line of lift trucks with over 130 different models configured for gasoline, LPG, diesel, or electric power. With broadest capacity range available in the industry – from 2,000 to 115,000 lbs. – each Hyster forklift is designed to meet your standards for dependability and cost of operation.

Gene has 2 sons, Ryan who is 24 and Austin who is 22.  He enjoys spending as much time as he can with them just chatting, watching football (Gene’s been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys for as long as he can remember), or playing basketball.  Gene enjoys fishing, walking, landscaping and taking his dog Bentley to the dog park so he can socialize with other dogs.

Gene says the thing he likes most about working at MH Equipment is the people because all of them are extremely helpful, kind and considerate.

Thank you, Gene, for telling us a little about yourself, and WELCOME to the MH Equipment family!

If you would like to contact Gene Frees for any of your material handling needs please call 402-734-1260 or gfrees@mhequipment.com.

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Meet Dean Looney! Material Handling Specialist – St. Louis, MO

December 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Dean Looney is one of our newest Material Handling Specialists located in our St. Louis, MO Branch.  Dean has been with the company since November 1st after spending several years in the military and in the business-to-business sales fraction of the finance industry.

Since Dean hasn’t been here a great deal of time yet he says that his greatest achievement so far has been completing MH Equipment’s Online Training Courses.  He’s been taking this time to really get to know the industry and focus building a strong repertoire with the Hyster brand of lift trucks offered by MH.

Dean has three children: 13-year-old Haley, 7-year-old Kelsey and a 3-year-old Mason.  He says they do a lot of outdoor activities together but sometimes it’s difficult to find a single activity that’s tailored to all three kids! (I bet!)

Dean says he’s a pretty active guy.  He enjoys running and exercising regularly.  He enjoys doing pretty much anything outdoors – from camping to fishing to hiking… but one of his true passions is photography.

Dean says growing up in Alabama it’s a requirement to choose your favorite sports team at birth… so you guessed it!  His favorite sports team is most definitely the Alabama Crimson Tide!

We asked Dean if he had a unique story about himself that most people didn’t know – and did he have a doozie!  While in the military, Dean once caused a national security incident!! (oh my!) Apparently he set off a flare too close to an airfield where President George W. Bush was taking off in a helicopter.  He said it was a hectic few minutes, but good for several laughs even years later!

What Dean likes most about being at MH Equipment is the close-knit feel of the company.  It doesn’t feel like a big corporation where you could easily get lost in the “system”.

Thank you, Dean, for sharing a little about yourself – as well as a few laughs!  We wish you the best in your endeavors as your knowledge of the business and products grow! Welcome to the MH Equipment family!

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Meet Brad Klosterman – Material Handling Specialist, Cincinnati, OH

December 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Introducing… Brad Klosterman!  Brad is a Material Handling Specialist and has been with MH Equipment in Cincinnati since August 1, 2011 when MH Equipment acquired Yale Materials Handling in a deal that would make MH Equipment one of the first dual-brand dealerships in Ohio.

Brad says the most satisfying thing about working for MH Equipment has been the unquestioned support he’s received from everyone since joining the team.  He appreciates the fact that everyone supports what he is trying to do.

The Class II part of our business – Narrow Aisle and Very Narrow Aisle trucks really spark Brad’s interests because applications for this product usually require a deeper level of involvement with the customers’ business as well a high level of attention to detail.  Brad says this really affords him the opportunity to add value to what the customer is trying to accomplish.

Over the years Brad has been involved in a number of sales but the most unique was an application for the Department of Energy.  They needed to vertically transport barrels of waste product related to the processing of uranium.  Brad ended up selling them a mast assembly – no forklift – which was mounted to the floor and used essentially as an elevator for the barrels.

Brad celebrated 10 years of marriage to his wife Jennifer this last spring.  Together they have two children, Macy is 7 and their son Kellan is 6.  As a family they enjoy doing anything outdoors – soccer, baseball, going to the park, nature walks – you name it! They also enjoy movie night on Saturdays with the kids.  Brad has recently taught himself to play guitar.  He says it’s important to him to expose his children to music at a young age. When he has downtime he loves spending it with his kids.  It doesn’t matter what they are doing as long as they are doing it together.  Brad also likes to play golf (although he says he doesn’t get to very often anymore) and he enjoys staying physically active and working out.

Brad says he’s been a Cincinnati Reds fan for as long as he can remember – even when he was a kid growing up in Illinois!  He and his family would go to Chicago at least once a year when the Reds were playing the Cubs.  He must have had a little premonition that he was going to live in Cincinnati one day because he moved there after he graduated from College!

Brad says the best thing about working for MH Is getting the support of what a large corporation can offer combined with the feeling of working for a smaller company.

Thank you for sharing a little about yourself with us Brad!  All of us within the MH Family welcome you and look forward to sharing in your successes!

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Meet Shanell Lewis!

November 29, 2011 by 1 Comment

This week we would like you to meet Shanell Lewis!  Shanell is our GM Parts Coordinator at the Cincinnati, OH branch.

Shanell had originally applied for a position at a staffing agency but when she went for the interview they told her they actually had another position that was better suited to her qualifications. They thought she’d be a great fit for our company – So, Shanell decided to go for it… and here she is 6 years later!

Shanell and her husband Aaron were married on February 26, 2011 after being together 10 years!!  (Congratulations!) They have two children together – Jaylin who’s 9 and Jordin who’s 8.  As a family they enjoy spending time together and taking turns enjoying each other’s hobbies.  Jaylin loves to read so she reads to them as a family and Jordin is really into Marvel comics – so they always have to see the latest Marvel Comic movie.  Aaron is really into football– Shanell likes to watch it with him (Cincinnati Bengals of course!) and said she’s actually learned quite a bit! Shanell said she also really enjoys reading in her free time, after being in school for the last two years she hasn’t had a lot of time for leisure reading – she’s done now and can’t wait to start a good book! They recently took a fabulous family vacation to Sea Grove Beach, FL and had a BLAST!  They would love to make it an annual trip.

Shanell also is an online Supplemental Educational Services (SES) tutor for students who attend schools that have not performed well on the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) or the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). SES provides assistance with reading, language arts and mathematics to the lowest-achieving students from low-income families who attend a Title I school in the second year of School Improvement or higher

She says the most rewarding thing about her time with MH Equipment has been the personal growth she has seen within herself.  Completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management was a huge accomplishment and she thanks the many people within the company that provided advice on different assignments.

Shanell’s strong points are definitely her ability to build effective relationships with her co-workers and customers and she has a keen sense for resolving business issues.  She says the thing she likes most about working at MH Equipment is definitely the people and the mission of the company.

 

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Meet Mike DeFrancisco!

November 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This week we are excited to introduce Mike DeFrancisco!  Mike is the Regional Rental Manager for MH Equipment’s entire Western Division.  Mike has been with the company for just shy of 4 years.  (Happy Anniversary on 11/27 Mike!)

Prior to joining the MH Team, Mike worked for a large full line construction rental company.  He was in search of something more and was looking for a company that would recognize him for who he is instead of just another number – He wanted the opportunity to grow…  MH Equipment was the perfect fit!

Mike says he has been married to his wonderful and lovely wife Linda for 13 years. Mike has a daughter, Jessica, who is 17 and will be starting college next year and a son, Austin, who is 16 and is a junior in high school.  The DeFrancisco family enjoy spending their summers at their cabin on Lost Island Lake near the little town of Ruthven, IA.

Mike loves pheasant hunting, biking, running, and just hanging out with family and friends.  He and his family also volunteer as a foster home for a non-profit German Shorthair Pointer Dog Rescue.  Mike is also a big Iowa State Cyclones fan – he got that from working in Ames, IA and doing business with the University for a number of years.  (GO Clones!)  Mike also told me that back in his “young and crazy days” he was a bull rider in local Iowa rodeos – “just for fun” – he added!  (WOWZA!)

Mike says, “Rental is what I live and breathe every day.  Being part of a winning team that continues to grow year after year has been the most rewarding and satisfying experience since joining the MH Equipment team.  It’s the people, atmosphere, and culture that make it such a great place to work!”

We’re happy to have Mike on board here at MH Equipment!  Remember to give him a call for any and all of your equipment rental needs – from forklifts to backhoes – it’s YOURS WHEN YOU NEED IT… and OURS WHEN YOU DON’T!

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