Forklift dealership E & E Industries is a minority, woman-owned small business with a positive outlook.
"The market is improving," says senior partner Vicki Garcia-Golden. "People are looking into buying (forklifts) again," she says, noting that the business was previously dominated by repairs and maintenance.
Garcia-Golden notes that end-users face imminent pressures from the California Air Resources Board to lower forklift fleet emission averages, with penalties awaiting those not complying. Users need to spend money on acquiring battery-powered forklifts with better environmental performance, she says.
For its part, E&E declines to buy any forklift older than a 2004 model and is in the process of cleaning out its inventory of non-compliant equipment.
"I have known Vicki for close to 20 years from renting forklifts from her, getting our forklifts serviced or a new forklift purchase," says customer Ed Senter, president of ship repair shop and metal fabricator Miller Marine in National City, California. "She has always delivered what she promised and ends the transactions many times with a personal visit to our facility. Vicki is very active in many charities including golfing and casino nights. Vicki loves to play tennis and golf and always has a smile on her face."
Any community would be proud of a business like E&E Industries, says Jaime Gonzalez Luna, vice president with San Diego-based business incubator and contract manufacturer Bucher. "The owner is involved and gives an example of work ethics and care for her employees. They are in business to stay; they are honest and have good business practices. They give back to the community, do fund raisers, participate in helping any type of organisation and make a difference." Further, "Vicki is a wonderful lady who shares her positive attitude with everybody. The equipment that E&E sells is first class and supported with great service."
E&E Industries understands change and is converting its business-directory advertising dollars to the internet. The conversion began in late 2008, and E&E anticipates its completion by January 2011.
Natalie Cutri, an AT&T advertising account executive in San Diego, is helping E&E make the conversion. Cutri says the effort seeks to integrate search engine marketing, identify key search words and track telephone calls and the Internet clicks within YP.com and other search engines. AT&T supplies a monthly report and enables E&E to check activity as desired.
E&E's senior partner was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, attended Rio Grande High School and National University and gained early work experience at age seven with her family selling-"always selling" -at Santa Fe fiestas and Gallup ceremonials.
E&E started as a marine electrical subcontractor in 1981 in San Diego shipyards, mostly repairing electrical and electronic equipment on naval vessels.
After a decade, E&E needed to adjust. The local ship repair industry downsized and consolidated. "We pursued other areas to apply our electrical and motor repair experience," she recalls.
E&E expanded its forklift business from refurbishing and reselling to become a full dealership. "We sell both new and used forklifts, rent and lease equipment and stock forklift parts," she reports. "Our service department is capable of providing mobile as well as in-house repairs, regular preventive maintenance and after-hours-emergency response."
E&E has five technical-service vans. Two cover the Otay Mesa area of San Diego, and two serve northern San Diego County. The fifth remains available for response to an unexpected call.
In addition to San Diego County, E&E has a presence in the Mexican state of Baja California Norte for maintenance through a TCM-trained service technician.
A certified instructor provides separate training courses for forklift operation and forklift safety, both mandated by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
E&E began its affiliation representing the lines of TCM America Inc of Columbia, South Carolina and its parent firm TCM Corp of Tokyo, Japan in 1993.
In 2008, E&E took on the Wisconsin-built Big Joe line of walkie stackers, pallet trucks and order pickers. Joint venture Big Lift LLC of Lombard, Illinois took control of Big Joe in April 2009.
The US Small Business Administration (SBA) certifies E&E under its program for small companies that operate and employ people in historically underutilized business zones, known as HUBZones. E&E graduated from the SBA's 8(a) small business development program in 2002.
The State of California Department of General Services and the Southern California Metropolitan Water District certify E&E as a small business.
E&E converted to a partnership from a corporation in 2003 for tax purposes. As junior partner since 1984, Dan Bonfield "is a very intelligent general manager," Garcia-Golden notes. "Dan is involved primarily with bidding and performing the work on our government contracts", usually for facility maintenance at bases.
E&E employs 28, occupies 14,000 square feet (1,260 sqm) and owns an adjacent 18,000 square-foot (8,100 sqm) building that it rents to a surfboard manufacturer.