News roundup: Komatsu hosts Extreme Sandbox for 40 students

Photo: KomatsuPhoto: Komatsu

Thanks to a grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation Fund, 40 high school students from Warren County High School in Warrenton, North Carolina, recently took a trip to Hastings, Minnesota, to learn how to operate Komatsu equipment and to learn about job prospects in the construction industry.

“We are so pleased to have been granted these NCDOT funds to educate our students about transportation and heavy equipment career opportunities that can bridge the gap between skills and the lack of trained workers in the construction industry,” said Odessa Perry, career development coordinator at Warren County Schools.

The group, consisting of 16 girls and 24 boys, learned how to operate Komatsu machines, such as wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators and crawl dozers at Extreme Sandbox. Extreme Sandbox not only focusses on “edutainment,” it also gives the public the chance to see just what it’s like to operate heavy equipment in a 10-acre “sandbox.”

The students learned about the variety of job prospects in the area of construction while receiving training and supervision from highly trained expert instructors.

“We are thrilled that the students from Warren County High School made the trip to learn how to operate our machines,” said Mike Hayes, director, distributor development, for Komatsu America Corp. “One of our goals in partnering with Extreme Sandbox was to inspire a new generation of men and women who are good with their hands to consider careers in the construction industry. It provides great employment opportunities and experienced heavy equipment operators and technicians can make six-figure incomes.”

STIHL’s “America’s Main Streets” quarterfinalists named Iws Logo

More than 156,000 votes were cast for 242 nominees in STIHL‘s 2017 Independent We Stand “America’s Main Streets” contest. Independent We Stand is a movement of independent business owners across the country that aims to draw attention to the impact and strong economic benefits of buying local. The public is invited to vote now to help a deserving quarterfinalist get one step closer to winning the $25,000 grand prize.

Voting on the quarterfinalist begins May 1 and will run until May 28, and the top ten semifinalists will be announced on May 29. The winner will be announced on June 5.

The 2017 quarterfinalists in alphabetical order are:

Additional prizes include:

  • A STIHL equipment certificate for $1,000 worth of STIHL equipment good at any STIHL dealer in the U.S.
  • Do it Best Corp. $500 shopping spree
  • PPG Pittsburgh Paints $500 shopping spree
  • SnapRetail $1,300 subscription package
  • Public relations and social media recognition
  • An Alignable small business social media “Neighborhood” on the site
  • Special plaque for winner to proudly display

Citi Retail Services signs with Honda Power Equipment

It was announced recently that Citi Retail Services and Honda Power Equipment have created a consumer and commercial private label agreement. Citi Retail Services, one of North America’s largest and most experienced retail credit solution providers, says that this new relationship is the latest addition to Citi Retail Services’ power sports and equipment portfolio.

“Honda is well-known for its commitment to developing quality products for commercial and consumer use worldwide,” said Craig Vallorano, head of Citi Retail Services. “We’re proud to work together to serve Honda’s loyal customers and to help drive future sales growth. This relationship is an important addition to Citi Retail Services’ work in the power sports and equipment market.”

Encompassing six product families, Honda’s power equipment division includes generators, snow blowers, trimmers, pumps, lawn mowers and tillers. The company says that this new program offered by Citi Retail Services will provide compelling promotions, industry leading financing options and overall value to drive parts, customer loyalty and service sales.

“Honda is proud to work with Citi Retail Service to offer both our customers and dealers the opportunity for more options when purchasing Honda Power Equipment products,” said Daniel Sherlock, senior manager – Honda Power Equipment. “This partnership with Citi will provide attractive promotions and financing options to both customers and Honda Power Equipment dealers, which we believe will result in satisfied customers and dealer partners.”

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