Page 32 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 1 - 2023
P. 32
PORT BUSINESS
RAISING THE BAR
EASTERN LIFT TRUCK CO. IS SETTING SALES RECORDS IN ITS SIXTH DECADE
BY TINA IRGANG LEADERMAN
When you see a forklift, yard truck or other piece of materi- als handling equipment around the Port, chances are good that it may have been supplied by Eastern Lift Truck Co.
The company has been a dominant dealership in Baltimore since the late 1990s, but major growth over the
past decade has made the New Jersey-based family-owned business an indispensable partner to Ports America Chesapeake, Tradepoint, Ceres
and other terminal operators. Founded in 1971 by entrepreneur
and decorated World War II veteran John Pruitt, Eastern Lift Truck Co. began operations in Maple Shade, NJ, where it is still headquartered today. As the years progressed, the company added personnel and attracted the attention of Yale Materials Handling Corp. In 1996, Eastern Lift Truck Co. became an authorized Yale dealer. “Yale is one of the most respected forklift manufacturers in the world and they are one of our longest-standing partnerships,” said Michael Edmonds, Eastern Lift Truck Co.’s Director of Marketing and Business Development. “We’re proud that for 21 consecutive years, we’ve earned the highest dealer honor you can receive from Yale.”
For Edmonds, that fact illustrates one of the major contributing factors
[30] The Port of Baltimore ■ ISSUE 1 / 2023
