TIE DEALERS | DEALER LOCATOR | PRODUCT ASSESSMENT TOOL

Toyota Honors Top 15 Dealers with President's Award

IRVINE, Calif., – February 18, 2005 – Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) recently announced the 2004 winners of its prestigious President's Award. TMHU selects its top dealers each year from a nationwide network of 71 dealers and 186 dealership locations, recognizing them for demonstrating excellence in their parts, service, equipment sales, customer satisfaction and overall dealership operations. These dealers are commended for their extraordinary commitment and high standards, which helped Toyota strengthen its position as the number one selling lift truck in the U.S. for the third consecutive year. This year, 15 winners earned this coveted award and were acknowledged at Toyota's Spring Regional Dealer Advisory Council meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., in February.

The winners are:

  • Al Rawson of Atlas Toyota Material Handling, Schiller Park, Ill.
  • Ron McCluskey of Brodie Toyota-Lift, Lawrence, Mass.
  • Jeff Fischer of Florida Lift Systems, Inc., Orlando, Fla.
  • Stuart Thompson of Garrison Service Company, Inc., Nashville, Tenn.
  • Brian Hull of Hull Lift Truck, Inc., Elkhart, Ind.
  • Sam Smartt Jr. of Kenco Toyota-Lift, Chattanooga, Tenn.
  • Joe Clark of Mid-South Lift Trucks, Inc., Memphis, Tenn.
  • Bill Skinner of ProLift Industrial Equipment Co., LLC, Louisville, Ky.
  • Jim Shoppa of Shoppa's Material Handling, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas
  • Steve Thorne of Southeast Industrial Equipment, Inc., Charlotte, N.C.
  • Michael Elliott of SwiftLift, Inc., Victor, N.Y.
  • Lee Smith of Toyota Forklifts of Atlanta, Scottdale, Ga.
  • Joe Quinto of Toyota-Lift of Los Angeles, Inc., Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
  • Les Nielsen of Toyota Lift of Minnesota, Brooklyn Park, Minn.
  • Richard Andres of Toyota Material Handling Northern California, Hayward, Calif.

The President's Award, previously known as the Quality Dealer Award, is TMHU's highest honor, and is only awarded to those dealerships that have succeeded in maintaining Toyota's high standards for excellence in every area of operations and service. Since its inception in 1990, this coveted honor has been given to select dealers to acknowledge their outstanding accomplishments in sales, customer satisfaction and overall dealer services.

"We are extremely proud of our dealers, for helping us achieve another record-breaking year," said Dr. Shankar Basu, president and CEO of TMHU. "Our dealer network is truly comprised of the best in the industry."

To demonstrate the company's appreciation, each President's Award recipient will receive an exquisite Tiffany & Co. crystal award and will be congratulated in a full-page, color advertisement in the spring issue of the MHEDA (Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association) Journal. TMHU also is hosting a trip to England and Scotland for the winners.

TMHU is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and offers a full line of high-quality lift trucks sold under the Toyota brand. Built on a reputation for excellence, Toyota is known for its quality, reliability and durability. Third-party research shows Toyota lift trucks rank highest in value and quality among the top competitors. Most of the Toyota lift trucks sold in the United States are manufactured in Columbus, Ind.

Toyota's commitment to customer service extends nationwide. Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. offers comprehensive customer service support, including one-stop shopping for both new and Certified Used lift trucks, parts, service and financing. For more information on TMHU, please visit www.toyotaforklift.com or call 1-800-226-0009.