Nice one bobs son, best regards

This is Bob's son. I am sorry to anyone who didn't receive a call after my dads passing. We tried to reach as many people as possible. However, during the funeral planning it can get pretty hectic. Thank you for your condolences. It would have meant a lot to my dad for people to be thinking of him. I stumbled upon this forum out of curiosity to see if my dads name was on the web.

I myself didn't know that my dad worked for some of these companies. He enjoyed working in this industry and valued all the friends that he met over the years.

Still waiting SCAZ...

Charles,
I would be happy to get the book for you. Get back to work.

Scaz

Having been in our industry for (oh my God I can't believe it but it's true!!) 37 years! Ok I have to admit I did not start at 12 years old! But in all sincerity, I have tried to stay in touch with people I worked with as well as people I competed with. When I first started as a territory salesman I made friends with a few of my competitors and believe it or not still hear from them! Some are out of the industry, some are still in the industry albeit with different brands today and some have retired. My point is that we are a fraternity and are actually a very small fraternity compared to other industries. The best analogy I can think of is to compare our industry to the NFL. There are currently approximately 1600 NFL players. That number has gone up quite a bit in the last 10 to 15 years however is still a microcosim of the USA's total population. I do not know the total number of sales people in our industry but would guess it may not be far off the total number of NFL players. When we "play" (compete) against one another there is no quarter and we all want to WIN! When the game (or in our case the deal) is done, we move on to the next deal/game. I have always enjoyed getting to know my competitor, maybe even having a beer with him/her. Sometimes we bust each other on who won or lost the deal but in all cases there was a level of respect for someone that played the same game well and fairly, but for a different team. Just like the NFL there are certain players that really bend or even break the rules of winning the game/deal. Just like in the NFL these people are usually known by the other teams/brand whether on a local or national level depending on their job.
I have already gotten way to verbose with this! My bottom line thought is that all of the good guys/gals (please excuse me ladies I mean no disrespect) are the people we should all know or at least know of and when they pass on let us all mourne the passing of one of our brothers/sisters. This is a great industry and there are so many really good people in it. I look at oldtimers like me and want to make sure that we pass the mantle of this FRATERNITY on to the younger ones. To do that we need to remember all the good people we worked with and yes, competed with that made our industry what it is. If we do not do this it will become just another job.

charles p,
My copy of this book & The Beatles, "White Album" went with my first wife when I had my back turned - they were both acquired before we were married. But the book was a good read & had some very good messages for me.
Just checked on eBay & found several sellers offering them at a reasonable price. The copy I had was a paperback, the one with the orange top banner - you'll see what I mean when you look on eBay..

Johnr_J, an I borrow your book? You know as an industry friend that I would return it. It sounds like an interesting read. I was in Florida for 15 years in the industry but have moved North for a better opportunity @ MHS in Delaware. Let me know, I would pay for shipping both ways.

I know the feeling. My upper brass wants all the help but is unwilling to help back. If a person helps me I am indebted to them and try to help in any way I can.

I use this website and posted a help topic for trouble shooting a competitors brand and wouldn't ya know it my boss found out. He chewed me a new one but I had not violated any form of the employee manual and informed him of this, he told me in a loose way to get the F out of the office and get back to work. Since this paranoid incident I am now strickly an 8 hour guy and not a company guy anymore. This new management era has a real disconnect from the people who pound the pavement and actually build a business.

thanks again lift truck guys

My condolences to Bob's family. I had a few dealings with him over the years at various companies he worked at.

Gerry i thought you went back east, last time a saw you was at mr rice funeral.

Thanks guys for the responce,most or all of you didnt know the person , it makes me feel a little better thanks again

The saddest part of this thread is how for our own short comings we tend to want to blame others. Frends are precious and it is up to the individual to keep in contact. It is certainly not the family's responsibility. Several years ago my father in law passed away after a long painful illness. The family elected to not have a wake or a gathering. I received a call at my in-laws home and some guy read the obit and was blasting us because we elected not to have a wake. My question to him was, where were you the past 6 years he had been ill and at home? Where were you with a telephone call or a quick note to see how was he doing? If they are such good friends, keep in tuch while they are alive.

Bob Kinloch came here from Scotland and started at Hyster when they were assembling units in Toronto. You left out American Hoist. Some of us did take the time to call Bob's wife Ann, and you'd like to believe some will see this and call or send a card to her !

In a book from the late 50's written by William Goldman titled "Temple of Gold" he wrote "If you go through life and have one true friend consider yourself a lucky man."
If you like to read this is a great book can't find it in bookstores - but it is on eBay & best of all it is not real thick. Basically, it is about a young man coming of age and learning life's lessons.

Whatever happened to helping each other out? Management claims we should all be as a team and we spend more of our life at work than we do with our own family, yet who can you trust more? Sorry to hear about the loss of your co-worker. It's shameful society has changed for the worse and the time of close knit workers has gone away from us, times and families have changed in the last 50 years. I believe for the worse not the better.

I 2 agree with you. After 40 yrs in the business I have only 2-4 people I call or call me. When I started 40 yrs ago the local road mechanics from most of the dealers in Buffalo would stop for breakfast at the same place and time. We would exchange war stories and help each other out. Management of all companies stopped the meetings. They were so secretive in their business they couldn't stand the mechanics helping each other out. No dealer lost any customers because of this nor did any mechanics jump ship and go to the competition.
Before retiring from my last job, the management was paranoid about talking to the competition. We might give away "secrets". Or worse yet find the competition pays better or has better working conditions or has better benifits and we might jump ship. GIVE ME A BREAK. Treat the employees proper and give them some respect they will stay put. It used to be....If I had a real brain freeze on a job and needed help, I could call a compeditors tech. You scratch my back I scratch yours. Only management would stab you in the back.
This attitude by management has caused real isolation in the ranks. People don't seem to be "friends" anymore. Is this happening in other sectors? Is it a general societal evolution?
If it is it S***S.

Must agree with you totally. It is often said the lift truck industry is small industry but people today just don't seem to communicate well. After, 41 years in this business, I have two people from my lift truck days I call or they call me after 41 years.