Michael Dougherty's retirement has sparked a shake-up

NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) is close to completing a major restructuring of the dealer networks for its Hyster and Yale brands across six states. The finalisation is pending completion of a number of proposed transactions between Gregory Poole Equipment Company, Dougherty Equipment Company, LiftOne Material Handling Equipment, VBS Materials Handling Equipment and Briggs Equipment. According to NMHG, some time ago, Yale dealer Dougherty Equipment Company flagged its intent to sell its dealer operations, located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, on the retirement of its owner and chief executive officer, Michael Dougherty. Over the past year, NMHG has worked with Dougherty to develop a viable succession plan and to help facilitate the sale of its materials handling operations, while ensuring continuity for customers and associates. A letter of intent to acquire Dougherty's operations has been executed by Gregory Poole Equipment Company, headquartered in Raleigh, NC. At closing, expected around October 1, 2015, Gregory Poole will sell a portion of the Dougherty assets to LiftOne, a dual-brand dealer of Hyster and Yale forklifts headquartered in Charlotte, NC. In related transactions, Gregory Poole has executed letters of intent to acquire operations of VBS Materials Handling Equipment, a current Hyster dealer with six branch locations across Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, and certain assets and facilities of Briggs Equipment, a dual-brand Hyster and Yale dealer. Subsequent to the completion of the transactions, Gregory Poole will become the Yale dealer in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and the Hyster dealer in most of Virginia and in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. Gregory Poole will transition from existing competitive supplier relationships when appointed to represent the Hyster and Yale brands. LiftOne, a subsidiary of Carolina Tractor and Equipment Company, is the current Hyster dealer in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia and Kentucky, and the Hyster and Yale dealer in portions of Tennessee. Once the transactions are completed, LiftOne will also represent Yale in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. In a separate transaction, Briggs Equipment, Inc. will be appointed as the dual-brand dealer in South Florida effective July 1, 2015. Briggs Equipment is the current Yale dealer in portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and the Hyster dealer in portions of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and a dual-brand dealer in portions of Georgia and Alabama. "Representing over 10,000 units per year, across five states with four eastern United States marine ports (Norfolk, Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah), the market presently serviced by Dougherty Equipment, VBS and Briggs is critically important to both Hyster and Yale," says NMHG vice president - dealer business development Bob Sattler. "Network re-engineering and competitive conversion activity are important in securing our position as industry leaders in independent distribution. "We are delighted to welcome Gregory Poole as our newest dealer and believe that their commitment to excellence and record of performance representing competitive brands will quickly translate into success with Hyster and Yale customers. "The customer base in this re-engineered territory includes a diversified group of paper, pulp and wood processors, light and heavy manufacturing, conversion and assembly plants, as well as regional and national distribution centres requiring the complete range of materials handling equipment and services that Hyster Company and Yale Materials Handling Corporation can uniquely support."