Towlift's parent has acquired Cromer Material Handling

GNCO, the parent company of several materials handling dealerships including Towlift, has acquired Oakland, California-based Cromer Material Handling.

Towlift operates across several Midwestern states, providing many of the same forklift brands and equipment as Cromer.

"I've known the guys at Towlift for years now; they're good people. When we started talking about a sale, I admit, I was skeptical. I've spent 30 years building up my business. I'd only sell if it gave me a chance to do more," says Cromer founder Marshall Cromer.

"The more we talked, the more I realised such a sale would work. Towlift wasn't interested in making big changes to our team or our inventory. They want to do the same thing I want: go bigger!"

Cromer says the acquisition will provide his team with access to the Towlift forklift and materials handling inventory.

He stresses that he will continue to lead Cromer, and all Cromer facilities will remain open, with the same hours, the same contact information, and the same sales and service.

With a 30-year history, Cromer Material Handling has facilities in Oakland, Manteca, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield and Santa Maria, California as well Las Vegas, Nevada.

Towlift, meanwhile, was founded by Gerald N. Cannon in 1965 as a Towmotor dealership in Cleveland, Ohio. Today, Towlift is the authorised distributor of many product lines and has locations in Cleveland, Mentor, Columbus, Sewickley (Pittsburgh), and Northwood (Toledo).

Its brands include Cat Lift Trucks, Jungheinrich warehouse equipment, Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, Hoist Lift Trucks, Kalmar high-capacity forklifts, Sellick rough-terrain lift trucks and Linde and Manitou forklifts.