 Steven Greenawalt |
Rapidly growing Alta Equipment Co expects by August to complete construction and infrastructure work on a 17,000 sqft. (1579 sqm) facility to serve the Traverse City, Michigan market. The new location is 1.2 mi. (1.9 km) from Alta's current Traverse City site.
Through its industrial equipment and construction equipment divisions, Alta employs about 550 staff and operates in 18 locations - 14 in Michigan, three in Illinois and one in Indiana. Traverse City is among the branches handling equipment from both divisions.
The industrial equipment division accounts for about 70% of Alta's business, often involving dedicated sales territories for Yale and Hyster materials handling units along with, in various branches, Manitou, Combilift, Bendi, Drexel, Motrec and Rico forklifts.
Bob Kohler is president of Alta's industrial division.
An aggressive pattern of acquiring competing and complementary equipment businesses and expanding geographic territory has earned recognition for Steven Greenawalt, founder and chief executive officer of Wixom-based Alta.
A unit of the London-based multinational professional services firm Ernst & Young Global Ltd, operating as EY, recently named Greenawalt as winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 award in the Michigan and north-west Ohio region. Greenawalt becomes a candidate for the EY program's national overall award to be presented on 15 November.
"This award is a tribute to all Alta employees and their hard work and dedication," Greenawalt said in his acceptance speech at a ceremony in a Detroit hotel.
An independent panel of judges selected Greenawalt. The award recognises entrepreneurs demonstrating excellence and extraordinary success in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
During 2013, Alta acquired Evans Equipment Co Inc of Burton, Michigan in October and CLM Forklifts Inc of Elkhart, Indiana in December. Usually, Alta retains the employees of an acquired business.
Purchases during 2012 involved Great Lakes Powerlift Inc of Warren, Michigan in December and Northern Michigan Equipment Co of Traverse City in October.
Earlier combinations dealt with Galaxy Lift Inc of Peotone, Illinois in December 2011, TEC Material Handling Corp of Addison, Illinois in July 2010, United Lift LP in Bellwood and Lansing, Illinois and Wolverine Tractor and Equipment Co of Byron Center, Michigan (both in January 2010), and Aurora Lift-Truck Service Inc of Montgomery, Illinois and Mid-State Industries Services Inc of Eaton Rapids, Michigan - both in December 2009. In the greater Chicago market, Alta consolidated certain operations in opening a greenfield facility in Itasca, Illinois in September 2010.
Earlier acquisitions involved Detroit Forklift Inc in Detroit in 2009, Van's Industrial Equipment Co of Wyoming, Michigan in 2008 and Michigan Industrial Equipment Co, also of Wyoming, Michigan, in 2004.