Material Handling Saves Lives!
I guess the headline would indicate a rebuttal to my post from yesterday, but it’s really not.
I received an e-mail this morning from MHEDA Past President Ken MacDonald, president of M & G Materials Handling Company in East Providence, RI. Evidently, Ken’s brother Dan was driving an employee, Andrew Sunderland, to work when the two came across a bicyclist injured in a crash with an automobile. Sunderland recognized the cyclist as Andy Blanchard, Sunderland’s counterpart at local forklift dealer competitor Crellin Handling Equipment. Blanchard had collided with a vehicle and lay unconscious in the street. Luckily, MacDonald and Sunderland came by when they did. Sunderland was able to perform CPR until paramedics arrived. According to a co-worker quoted in the Providence Journal article, “Blanchard was conscious and alert early Friday evening.”
If we needed more evidence that material handling is a people business, there you have it. Blanchard and Sunderland had previously worked together and the two had been known to “go out for beers together” in the past. Relationships, relationships, relationships. That’s what material handling is all about.
Tags: forklift, lift trucks, manufacturer-distributor relationships, material handling
September 15th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Well done Andrew and Dan! The world needs more folks like you and broader publication of great stories like this. Too many people would have driven by, not wanting to get involved for too many reasons.
My edition of Webster’s defines “hero” as “A man celebrated for special achievements and attributes”. Sounds like you guys qualify. I say again, well done!
Warren Cornil
September 15th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Warren,
Thanks for the comment. Stories like this are testaments to the relationships people can develop in this industry. Thanks for reading!