LiuGong North America has added Cornerstone Equipment to its dealer network. The Dry Ridge, Kentucky-based operation sells both construction equipment and material handling products. The business started in 2009 as an industrial equipment solutions provider. It serves the agriculture, outdoor power, construction and material handling equipment industries, and its three branches help to cover the tristate area of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
Devin Ponder, CEO, Cornerstone Equipment, has drawn upon his family’s roots and success with the business over the last 15 years. His parents, Bryan and Kathy Ponder, founded the business in 2009 after his dad worked for the region’s largest material handling dealership. He took over day-to-day operations at Cornerstone in 2020. While its roots were in forklifts, the company pivoted to its current line during the pandemic from 2020 to 2022 and expanded its operations in both Ohio and Indiana. The company is now blending its industrial equipment background with recent retail success to expand further, adding construction and material handling equipment.
Ponder hailed the relationship already established with LiuGong team members during the recruitment process as Cornerstone Equipment joins the dealer network. “The vision of Cornerstone Equipment’s future and the LiuGong future in North America align perfectly,” he said. “Our team is uniquely qualified to be the market leaders in construction and material handling equipment sales, service and rental operations in the tristate area. “The broad product line offered from LiuGong covering both construction and material handling equipment fits our target customer base perfectly. The value of bringing machines with industry-leading components to market at an extraordinarily competitive price and lead time is exciting.”
Andrew Ryan, President, LiuGong North America, expanded on the relationship they’ve developed and what Cornerstone Equipment can add to the dealer network. “There is a strong family history that Cornerstone Equipment has established, along with a pursuit of excellence and strong vision for what they want to achieve,” Ryan said. “It’s a great addition to our LiuGong dealer network across both construction and material handling equipment.”
Jared Ward, Vice President, Material Handling, LiuGong North America, added the background they have within the material handling field will only strengthen the material handling dealer network. “The Cornerstone Equipment group has shown strong interest and dedication to serving material handling customers,” Ward said. “We look forward to growing with them in this space and we welcome their family to the LiuGong family of dealers.”
Ponder closed by emphasizing the connection he has developed thus far. “The mission of LiuGong to be dealers’ preferred choice resonates with our team, and its organizational structure in North America supports that mission,” Ponder said. “Every LiuGong team member we met in Katy, Texas was truly professional; that’s something required for us to deliver the best customer experiences possible. “Lastly, LiuGong offers us the ability and opportunity to scale and expand our business on a regional level going forward and deliver excellent customer experiences for years to come.”
