Brian Butler

Brian Butler has begun a two-year term as chairman of the board and one of six executive committee members of the Washington-based Industrial Truck Association (ITA).

The initial major event during Butler's ITA tenure as chairman will be the association's 2014 spring meeting from 17-19 March at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington.

Butler is president of Linde Material Handling North America Corp, which has headquarters and forklift manufacturing capabilities in Summerville, South Carolina. Butler's North American entity operates through Linde Material Handling GmbH, a subsidiary of publicly traded KION Group AG of Wiesbaden, Germany.

As ITA chairman, Butler succeeds James Moran of Crown Equipment Corp. Moran served as ITA's top elected official for two-year terms starting in 1993, 2002 and 2012.

Other incoming ITA officers are first vice chairman Brett Wood, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Material Handling North America, and second vice chairman Scott Johnson, vice president of business development for Clark Material Handling Co.

Other ITA executive committee members beginning two-year terms are Jay Gusler, director of operations for Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc; Colin Wilson, president and chief operating officer for Nacco Materials Handling Group; and Tim Quellhorst, senior vice president of Crown Equipment Corp.

Brian Feehan serves as ITA president and heads operations of the association.

ITA's members manufacture forklift trucks, tow tractors, rough terrain vehicles, hand-pallet trucks and automated guided vehicles throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. ITA represents about 90% of the forklift manufacturers in the US and Canada. Suppliers of component parts and accessories are associate members.