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March 2016 News

New CEO For Morbark
Morbark's Board of Directors has appointed Dan Ruskin as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The announcement coincides with the recent sale of Morbark to Stellex Capital Management, a private equity manager that invests in both U.S. and international corporations.

Trojan Battery Joins SmartEquip Network
Trojan Battery products will be available in May 2016 for purchase by equipment companies via the SmartEquip Network. SmartEquip is an online fleet support network that connects fleet owners to manufacturers and their dealers with real time access to critical parts and service information.

JCB Announces Top Dealer Sales Professionals 
More than 200 equipment dealer sales professionals from the United States and Canada recently came to JCB’s North American headquarters in Savannah, GA for “The Gloves Are Off,” a sales training event. During the event, JCB also inducted its top-performing dealer sales professionals into the company’s Superstar Ring program.  

"BOMAG Day" Open House
BOMAG Americas provided dozens of key distributors and customers a tour of the company's new North American headquarters in Ridgeway, S.C. Attendees received a first-look at the company's new offices, training center, parts distribution center and manufacturing area.

CASE Names New VP-North America
CASE Construction Equipment's Jim Hasler, a 34-year veteran of the company, has announced his retirement, effective April 2016. Scott Harris, the current vice president of Parts and Service for CNH Industrial, will take over the role and oversee the North American construction equipment operations for CASE.

Morbark Acquired by Stellex Capital Management
Morbark, LLC, announced that an affiliate of Stellex Capital Management has acquired the company. The acquisition is focused on providing growth capital and resources to significantly expand Morbark in the future.

Toro Announces Partnership with Utility One Source
Toro announced a new partnership with Utility One Source to provide utility companies and contractors with rental access to Toro underground utility equipment across its 18 U.S. locations. A leader in the overhead rental equipment segment, Utility One Source has selected Toro horizontal directional drills and ride-on utility trenchers to help continue its expansion into the underground segment.

Randy Lail Named President at STIHL Southeast, Inc. 
STIHL Southeast, Inc., distributor of STIHL outdoor power equipment for Florida, Georgia, Alabama and portions of the Caribbean, has named Randy Lail as president of the company. Lail succeeds Bob "JR" Noble, Jr., who passed away unexpectedly the morning of March 8, 2016.

Thunder Creeks Hires National Sales Leader
Thunder Creek Equipment has hired Tim Worman of Mason City, Iowa as its new National Sales Leader. Worman will work to develop comprehensive sales strategies across all markets, increase sales, grow the company’s sales team, and further expand Thunder Creek’s reach into the heavy construction and oil and gas markets.

Boxer Expands Distributor Network
Boxer, manufactured by Morbark, LLC, continues to aggressively expand its distributor network. The company recently added ten businesses as distributors.

Propane Mower Incentive Program Expected to Expire in April
Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) officials expect available program funds for the Propane Mower Incentive Program to expire at the end of April. The program gives a $1,000 rebate to applicants for each commercial propane mower purchase and $500 for each qualified propane conversion kit.

Toro Rolls Out 2016 Contractor Supply, Trade-In Programs
Toro's 2016 Contractor Supply Program allows contractor supply houses to update their equipment selection with the latest products and realize immediate savings with their purchases. The company also introduced a Turf Renovation Trade-in Program, offering rental stores the oppotunity to update their inventory of equipment in the program, receiving $500 per unit for trade-ins of competitive turf renovation equipment. 

Builder Confidence Holding Steady
Builder confidence in new single-family home construction was flat in March, holding at 58 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).

Single-Family Housing Construction Jumps in February
Single-family housing construction surged 7.2 percent in February to an annual production rate of 822,000 units. This is the highest level since November 2007. Multifamily starts remained flat, up 0.8 percent, to 356,000 units, based on data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. 

Atlas Copco Adds Crusher Works to Dealer Network
Atlas Copco added Crusher Works, Birmingham, Alabama, as a dealer. Crusher Works will offer Atlas Copco heavy compaction equipment at its Alabama location, plans to carry Atlas Copco pavers by mid-2016 and add milling machines in the future.  

Neff Corporation: "Record Rental Revenues" in 2015
Reporting on Neff Corporation's financial results for 2015, company CEO Graham Hood said the company generated "record rental revenues . . . despite the challenges from the decline in upstream oil and gas demand." The company plans on being "cautious with our CAPEX spending and to focus on rental demand in construction end-markets" this year, he added.

Dodge Momentum Index Increases 
The Dodge Momentum Index, an early and accurate leading indicator of future construction spending moved to 126.1, a 0.5 percent increase over January's number. It's the third consecutive monthly increase.

Genie Celebrates "Building the Future" Legacy
Marking half a century of serving aerial markets around the world, Genie, the Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) segment of Terex Corporation, celebrates its milestone anniversary this year with customers worldwide. The company operates in 80 countries and on six continents to serve customers’ local markets.

Takeuchi Announces New Western Regional Business Manager
Takeuchi-US has appointed Todd Francis to the position of Western Regional Business Manager. New to the company, Francis brings over 20 years of experience in the construction equipment and related business. He has experience in both the retail and wholesale side of the equipment business.

Ditch Witch's Rental Show Giveaway Winner
A new C30X walk-behind trencher was the cornerstone of the Ditch Witch booth at last month's rental show. Introduced at the event, Ditch Witch had one model given a custom camo wrap and offered it as a giveway.

Trojan Battery Appoints Vice President of Quality
Trojan Battery Co., LLC,named Robert Gibson as vice president of quality. Gibson is responsible for overseeing and managing all quality activities at Trojan locations worldwide. He brings more than 25 years of leadership experience from a wide range of organizations to this new role, and has a performance record of successfully achieving critical quality milestones and deliverables.

Used Equipment Prices Continue Decline
Driven primarily by weaker recoveries in auction transactions, used equipment prices reflected by the Rouse Value Index for January slipped to 43.9, down 0.7% from December. Though the ninth consecutive month of lower prices, the Value Index remains 1.3 percent above the April 2007 peak and 47.8 percent higher than the June 2009 trough. 

Industry Optimism Reflected at The Rental Show
A sold-out show floor and seventh consecutive increase in rental business attendees at The Rental Show, held in Atlanta last month, suggests the equipment rental industry remains optimistic about growth opportunities. According to the ARA, its 2016 event had the highest rental attendance in 10 years. 

Takeuchi Appoints New Northeast Regional Business Manager
Takeuchi-US, has hired Mark Barndollar as Northeast Regional Business Manager. New to the company, Barndollar has many years of experience in the compact utility business as a Regional Business Manager.

Trojan Appoints Senior VP of Engineering
Trojan Battery Co., LLC, named Michael Everett senior vice president of engineering.  Based at Trojan’s corporate headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Everett oversees the company’s product development, research and development, process engineering, technical support and various other analytical responsibilities for the company’s worldwide engineering strategies.

Kubota Engine America, SmartEquip Partnership
To improve parts and service support for rental companies and other Kubota engine users, Kubota Engine America Corp. has partnered with SmartEquip. SmartEquip is an advanced program that acts as an online portal merging technical support data, parts information and ordering services into one location, helping improve accuracy and saving time for technicians, according to the company.

Atlas Copco Appoints Four Managers to Rental Market
Atlas Copco Construction Equipment has appointed four managers to lead its growing rental market in the U.S. Steve Nelson serves the national rental aftermarket as a business development manager, Norbert Matthews works as an area sales manager for the Midwest, Charlie Clarkson serves the Northwest as the area sales manager and Ronald Repasz is the area sales manager for the Southwest.

Minnich Announces Its Top Dealers for 2015
Minnich Manufacturing has listed its top dealers for 2015 based on sales performance. Leading the way is Logan Contractors Supply, based in Des Moines, Iowa; Ace Cutting Equipment & Supply in Novi, Michigan was the top northern region dealer; Live Oak Construction Supply out of Norcross, Georgia, topped the Southern Region; and the Western Region's top dealer is Hub Consctruction Specialties, San Bernardino, California.

New Southeast Product Manager for Takeuchi
Takeuchi-US has appointed Dean Hoffman to the role of Southeast Product Manager. Hoffman will be responsible for all development and activity for dealer sales staff, assisting with equipment demonstrations, interaction with end users, and supporting efforts in retailing, training and growing the Takeuchi business in his territory.

United Rentals Expands Specialty Network
United Rentals says it has expanded its trench safety, power and HVAC, pump and tool solutions network, expanding with its first seven specialty rental branches of 2016. 

ARA Forecasts "Stable Growth" 
The American Rental Association's (ARA) latest forecast calls for "stable growth" with total rental revenue increases of 6.6 percent in 2016 and 5.6 percent in 2017. It reflects the declining investment in energy markets and continued growth in residential and nonresidential construction.

Construction Spending Takes a Leap in January
With nearly all major segments showing strong 12-month gains, and total constuction spending hitting a 7-year high, January construction spending soared, pushing the total to the highest level since October 2008, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.

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