Meet Your 2007 Board Of Directors

John Cosgrove, MHEDA President
President, Atlantic Handling Systems (Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ)
SKILL SET: I started in a small dealership, worked for a larger distributor for 13 years and started my own business two years ago. The unique experience gained in all three helps me identify with the challenges facing all types of MHEDA distributors. I'm ready to notify all Supplier/Associates that the best way to get their products to market is through well-trained MHEDA dealers.
YOUNG LEADERS: Edgers are from a very talented generation. We challenge them by empowering them and letting them use their creativity. We respect them and realize that they don't want to grow up to be like us. Theirs is a world where they look for satisfaction through technology and creativity. If we give them space and empower them, the results can be outstanding.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: I make the coffee in the office every morning and clean the coffee pot at night.
SIMPLEST THING: AutoCAD.

Jack Phelan, MHEDA President-Elect
CEO, Advanced Handling Systems (Lakeland, FL)
SKILL SET: I will be involved with MHEDA-NET, the association's networking vehicle. Networking is one of the most valued offerings we have, and the committee is developing ways to communicate to each member company the different networking groups available to them. The better the value perception associated with MHEDA, the easier it is to retain members, which in turn increases the total number of members.
YOUNG LEADERS: Empowerment. After you give them your two cents of advice, give them the freedom to either succeed or fail. They will learn from both.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Meetings.
SIMPLEST THING: Operate DVD players! If the movie doesn't start when I put the disk in the DVD player, I am up the creek without a paddle.

Greg Morrison, MHEDA Vice President
Vice President, Morrison Industrial Equipment (Grand Rapids, MI)
SKILL SET: I get some real gratification helping plan and attending live events. It's amazing the participation we get from members when they realize it's a two-way street.
YOUNG LEADERS: We give our employees tools like a laptop or a BlackBerry, and it's amazing how they grasp the technology. They are able to be at more places and do more business when they're on the road.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Go through my e-mail.
SIMPLEST THING: Ride a motorcycle. They kind of scare me.

Duncan Murphy, MHEDA Treasurer
President, Riekes Equipment Company (Omaha, NE)
SKILL SET: I have always been a numbers guy. Throughout my career in management and marketing, I have always tried to quantify what I do. That allows measurement of goals. Use of metrics when planning will be my focus with MHEDA.
YOUNG LEADERS: Young leaders today have a confidence in themselves and a need for responsibility. We train and then turn them loose earlier than ever. Young leaders have grown up with technology and in some ways are already prepped in areas beyond veteran staff. The results have been excellent, and the mistakes become learning exercises that only make them stronger.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Sign all checks for Riekes. It keeps my finger on the pulse.
SIMPLEST THING: How to set my watch alarm. It is annoying to hear it beep at 3 a.m. after I try.

John Maybury, MHEDA Immediate Past President
President, Maybury Material Handling (East Longmeadow, MA)
SKILL SET: I will continue to share my experience with the use of emerging technology in distributor and association applications.
YOUNG LEADERS: We encourage individual growth through online teleconferences and in-person training seminars. We strongly support the feeling of empowerment of our young leaders to actively participate in suggesting changes to improve our process.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Traveling.
SIMPLEST THING: Sleeping is on the top of that list. I think it is the least productive use of time.

Richard Donnelly, MHEDA Director
Executive Vice President, Gregory Poole Equipment Company (Raleigh, NC)
SKILL SET: I'll spend a lot of time making sure that we meet the needs of the association membership. I can bring a broad focus toward advanced programs that I think we need to be offering.
YOUNG LEADERS: We are creating a career development program where we take the various positions within our organization and identify what skills they need. We also have included some young managers in MHEDA Education programs to help them understand our strategic planning process and the industry.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Turn on my computer and answer e-mails.
SIMPLEST THING: How to make a 4-foot putt.

Chuck Frank, MHEDA Director
President, Advanced Handling Systems (Cincinnati, OH)
SKILL SET: My commitment is to work hard, think through the objectives of the organization, network with other members and provide positive feedback on how we use the association to better our own organization. I will always challenge myself and the association to set stretch goals and develop plans to achieve such goals.
YOUNG LEADERS: We have accessed all associates, realigned our long-term goals, developed action steps and continued the process of setting individual goals to access the abilities and talents of our potential future leaders. We will continue working and mentoring all team members to assist them in their career advancement.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Meeting with associates to inform them that things are not working out and having the unfortunate responsibility of letting good people go.
SIMPLEST THING: I've always wanted to ride a unicycle but never took the time. Is it too late to start?

Kevin Katona, MHEDA Director
President, DACO Corporation (Kent, WA)
SKILL SET: My passion is learning. We instill the importance of continuous learning in all employees; more important is applying that knowledge. I hope to help members apply MHEDA training to make their organizations more successful and professional.
YOUNG LEADERS: We invite all employees to participate in an annual off-site meeting to discuss strategic planning for the company. Employees are actively involved in idea development and are encouraged to participate in the execution of those plans. To promote personal development, we established a “learning lottery” that rewards continuous education. At each quarterly sales meeting, employees share that knowledge with everyone and receive prizes.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Reviewing the booked sales report each month.
SIMPLEST THING: I'm killer with the microwave, but the box in the kitchen with the four circles on top is pretty foreign.

Rex Mecham, MHEDA Director
Material Handling Division President, Arnold Machinery Company (Salt Lake City, UT)
SKILL SET: I have the capacity to involve people and make them feel needed and included. I feel it is necessary to continue to educate current and prospective members about the many benefits and opportunities offered by the association.
YOUNG LEADERS: We have identified young talented associates who we feel are capable of developing into future leaders of our organization. These associates, along with newly hired well-educated associates, are in a group that meets quarterly with the chairman and CEO. They are given group assignments and case studies. Oral presentations are given and training is provided.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: With 11 branches in six large Western states, I do much traveling, much of which is driving between branches. This travel quickly loses glamour.
SIMPLEST THING: How to effectively utilize the computer.

Fred Oram, MHEDA Director
President, Oram Material Handling Systems (Kansas City, KS)
SKILL SET: Like my fellow board members, I have a real passion for our association and genuinely enjoy promoting it to industry friends who are not members. I suspect a friendly competition between Board members exists to recruit the most new members.
YOUNG LEADERS: Our newer associates participate in MHEDA teleconferences, MHEDA-NET specialty groups and live training seminars like the recent Parts and Service Seminar and Business Planning Retreat. All employees have really taken up the sword of our business transformation training and many have become better leaders.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: I have taken personal responsibility for the health of the red geraniums near the entrance of our headquarters.
SIMPLEST THING: Finely tuned athlete that I am, I am ashamed to admit I am unable to roller skate backwards.

Ron Rechenbach, MHEDA Director
President, PeakLogix (Richmond, VA)
SKILL SET: I have a lot of experience with various forms of networking. All networking involves a purpose, process and payoff. What are you trying to accomplish, how are you going to complete the task, and what does it mean to you once you are finished.
YOUNG LEADERS: We include our younger management team in discussions involving all aspects of our business. We also provide them with responsibilities to improve their skill sets. In addition, we encourage our management team to become involved in networking/community events.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Reading e-mail and responding to long-winded voicemail messages.
SIMPLEST THING: Become an expert of all aspects of our computer system.

Dave Reder, MHEDA Director
President, OKI Systems (Cincinnati, OH)
SKILL SET: I'll bring energy and vision to help create an association that will help companies be successful.
YOUNG LEADERS: We are preparing young leaders with personal development plans that help them grow both personally and professionally. The development plans use both internal and external resources and are customized to each individual's needs.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Handling the ever-increasing amount of paperwork.
SIMPLEST THING: Type.

Stan Sewell, MHEDA Director
President, Barloworld Handling (Charlotte, NC)
SKILL SET: I look forward to working on the Education Committee in 2007 to enhance the learning programs available to MHEDA members. Our focus will be how to best provide a broad geographic membership group with information, benchmarking and educational programs that deliver value.
YOUNG LEADERS: First, we decide what assignments will best prepare them for the future, be it leading special in-house project teams, participating on dealer council subcommittees or moving into lateral job assignments for additional knowledge. We identify the specific coaching that would benefit them from a mentor, manager or supervisor. Some of our young leaders attended the MHEDA Convention to meet people and learn ideas and industry best practices. We also have invested in two-week leadership development programs offered by various schools and universities.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Reviewing and approving the expense reports of the executive staff.
SIMPLEST THING: I never learned how to program a VCR to record a television program. Now with digital TV, I don't need to learn it!

Ken Shaw III, MHEDA Director
President, Fred Hill and Son Company (Philadelphia, PA)
SKILL SET: I plan to work to expand the MHEDA-NET program to provide more opportunity for employees from various departments within an organization to network with their peers from other distributor organizations.
YOUNG LEADERS: We include employees from various departments within our company in planning meetings, one-to-one sessions with management and organizational strategic planning sessions. We also accommodate graduate studies to advance their education.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: I take a turn cleaning out the coffee pots at the end of the day.
SIMPLEST THING: Golf. How hard can it be to hit a ball that isn't moving?

Jerry Weidmann, MHEDA Director
Chief Operating Officer, Wisconsin Lift Truck (Brookfield, WI)
SKILL SET: Wisconsin Lift Truck utilizes many of the programs offered by MHEDA to improve and develop our organization. I will encourage other dealers to join and participate in MHEDA programs.
YOUNG LEADERS: Several years ago, our senior staff met with younger staff in a formal “Lean Management” training process that involved up to 16 days of training over the course of 18 months. The purpose was creating a team-building experience with both generations learning a common language to discuss strategies. Consequently, we created teams to study our business processes and develop improvement strategies.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Going through my e-mail.
SIMPLEST THING: I have connected from my laptop in different countries, used movies and live video feeds in PowerPoint. But I have never downloaded a song to an iPod.

Dave Griffith, MHEDA Advisory Board
President/CEO, Modern Group (Bristol, PA)
SKILL SET: As an advisor, I will do whatever I can to help John Cosgrove and the Board based on my experience in the industry and with the association.
YOUNG LEADERS: We run a Modern University at our company with specific curriculum aimed at developing young leaders. There are four two-day classes that cover everything from our Standard Operating Procedures to hiring and development coaching to generational education to leadership development and culture.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: Airline travel is a hands-down winner.
SIMPLEST THING: Skydive. How hard can it be to fall out of a plane?

Loren Swakow, MHEDA Advisory Board
Vice President, Scott Lift Truck Corporation (Elk Grove Village, IL)
SKILL SET: I feel MHEDA has the most to offer for dealerships of our size, under $20 million in sales. Throughout my Board tenure, I have always taken the vantage point of a small dealer, and I am proud to have been a part of some of the affinity programs offered by MHEDA.
YOUNG LEADERS: Our Edgers all receive The MHEDA Journal and MHEDA U brochures. We mentor them and provide cross-training within all departments. Edgers are the next generation of owners. We hope we are growing our own exit plan within our company.
LEAST GLAMOROUS DUTY: I pick up the mail from our post office box and input the checks. It keeps my finger on the pulse of the company.
SIMPLEST THING: Knitting?