Doosan dealer North Georgia Lift Truck Service to shut down operations

Doosan-brand dealer North Georgia Lift Truck Service shut down operations in mid-March in the face of economic pressures and owner John Maddox has opted to retire.

"We were notified (about the closure) and are looking to options" for continuing Rome area representation, says Michael Lavelle, president of the Warrensville Heights, Ohio-based forklift division for the North American subsidiary of Doosan Infracore Co Ltd. "We may find someone in that area interested in taking on the line or a neighbouring dealer who might move into that territory." Rome is about 55 miles (88 km) north west of Atlanta, Georgia.

The dealership began representing Daewoo forklifts in six contiguous counties in 2004 and transitioned to Doosan after its acquisition of the Daewoo brand in April 2005. The dealership's territory extends north to Dalton and to Cherokee County in the south, Lavelle says.

Maddox says equipment, parts and related assets were "sold down to the bare walls" in a liquidation before the closure.

Maddox acquired the business in 1995 from Tom Wooten, who founded the firm in the late 1960s. Maddox began noticing a decline in business from late 2007.

North Georgia Lift Truck Service employed six people and occupied 5,000 square feet (450 sqm) in a building that Maddox owns. Lavelle says he is looking at the Rome situation and considers "the decision by John as a little bit of a sign of the times" for businesses with smaller footprints and resources.

The brand owner, publicly traded parent firm Doosan Group, is based in Seoul, South Korea.