Chuck Frank

Chuck Frank has found ways to provide service to the materials handling industry.

Frank heads the 555-member Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA). He took office as the group's 57th president on 1 January and follows in the steps of one of his mentors, Gary Thompson, who was MHEDA's 1982 president.

"More than ever, the most critical item facing (MHEDA) members today is having the right people in the right positions within an organisation," Frank advises. "It is critical to have the talents required to handle the increased volume of work, continuing to add value and exceed customer expectations and, yet, being sensitive to keeping fixed expenses in line with forecasted revenues."

Frank is a distributor in his full-time capacity as president and chief executive officer of systems integrator AHS Inc of Cincinnati.

"The focus of MHEDA is the same as the members'," Frank says, identifying goals s "to increase your value proposition, diversify your offerings, stay focused on exceeding clients' expectations, develop and mentor your team members and acquire new customers and thank them often for their ongoing support."

During 2011, MHEDA is working on a Most Valuable Partner program aiming to recognise members for participation in the association's educational, best practices and networking opportunities.

Frank encourages member involvement. MHEDA's education committee strives to have at least 50% of all new members attend an educational event. Typically, close to 50% of new members attend an educational event, and the percentage has increased over the years correlating to MHEDA's increase in an array of offerings. For 2011, that includes 30 industry-specific educational programs.

Vernon Hills, Illinois-based MHEDA focuses on ways to improve the proficiency of independent materials handling distributors in the US.

In May, longtime collaborators Data Key Communications Inc and MHEDA launched a wiki site to highlight the education and networking functions of the association. The wikiMHEDA portal complements the two objectives very nicely, says Judy Flanagan, president of Data Key Communications in DeWitt, New York. "The site serves as a resource tool, disseminating information regarding material handling (and) also provides an opportunity for suppliers, distributors and end-users to communicate."

Flanagan says "the response has been incredible, generating largely end-user traffic of which 85% is coming from North America".

Content is monitored. "At times, folks try to use it as a tool to incorporate their sales information (when they add information to the terms), but that activity is policed quite diligently, and the guilty party is sent an email explaining how to better utilize the wiki portion of the site," Flanagan notes. "Individuals responsible for online content are notified each time material is updated. They either approve or disapprove content and, when in doubt, rely on an advisory group of MHEDA members."

Data Key Communications began partnering with MHEDA in 1996 and functions as a conduit between the association's suppliers, members and end-users. Annually, Data Key provides several associations with print and internet-based publications, website development, custom wiki products and search engine optimisation services.

Frank joined OKI Systems Ltd part-time in 1983 and became a full-time employee in 1988. Frank began his career in the installation department and transitioned into project management. Subsequently, the OKI systems group was spun off as Advanced Handling Systems - now identified as AHS Inc - and, successively, Frank held positions as an AHS project manager, outside sales representative, vice president and, in 2002, president and CEO. Frank and business partners Jeff Miller and Dave Tavel own AHS.

The systems integrator employs 16 staff and provides supply chain solutions on a national basis through four groups, focusing on strategic design, engineering and project management integration, materials handling catalogue products and installation and maintenance programs. Frank says AHS helps clients streamline distribution processes, improve productivity and increase return on investment.

In October 2008, AHS co-founded a Cincinnati unit of the Warehousing Education and Research Council of Oak Brook, Illinois. AHS employee Brian Jaynes led the effort to organize the Cincinnati WERCouncil, which offers networking and professional development opportunities for warehousing and distribution practitioners.

Frank became a member of the MHEDA board in 2004 and served as treasurer in 2009 and president-elect in 2010 before taking the association's top leadership position for 2011.

Within the industry, Frank served on the distributor advisory council of Interlake Material Handling Inc, now an operation of Mecalux SA, and the distributor advisory board of FKI Logistex Inc, now a unit of Intelligrated Inc.

Frank resides with his family in northern Kentucky.