Crown Equipment, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, recently recognized its best performing company-owned branches and independent dealers in North America. Crown Lift Trucks of Ontario, Calif., and NorthWest Handling Systems, Inc. of Seattle, Wash., both earned the prestigious James F. Dicke Pioneer Award as 2013’s top-performing branch and dealer, respectively.

“Our most successful retailers continue to demonstrate that the Crown experience does not stop with the sale of a forklift,” said Jim Mozer, senior vice president, Crown Equipment. “In many ways, the sale actually represents the beginning of a close-knit partnership between Crown and its customers. The organizations recognized in this year’s awards worked collaboratively with their customers to ensure a smooth implementation process and provided after-sale support that maximized the value of the customers’ investment. We’re proud of these customer relationships and strive to replicate them throughout the entire distribution network.”

This is Crown Lift Trucks of Ontario’s second Pioneer Award and third Summit Award; the branch earned the Ascent Award in 2012. “Our ability to achieve this great honor is a direct result of our dedicated staff that really pushed themselves this past year to achieve high performance levels,” said Mike Lammers, branch manager, Crown Lift Trucks of Ontario. “It’s gratifying to be recognized for our hard work, and we hope to exceed 2013 performance levels this year.”

This is NorthWest Handling Systems, Inc.’s fifth Pioneer Award and eighth Summit Award. The Seattle office of NorthWest Handling Systems, Inc., also earned eight Ascent Awards since Crown launched its recognition program in 1995.

“In 2013, our team worked hard to provide customers with customized material handling solutions,” said Jim Franck, president, NorthWest Handling Systems, Inc. “It’s through our commitment to customer service that our team was able to earn this prestigious award.”

The full list of award recipients includes:

2013 Summit Award Winners

• Action Lift, Inc., Pittston, Pa.
• A.J. Jersey, Inc., South Plainfield, N.J.
• NorthWest Handling Systems, Inc., Portland, Ore.
• NorthWest Handling Systems, Inc., Seattle, Wash.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Atlanta, Ga./Tifton, Ga.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Indianapolis, Ind.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Ontario, Calif.

2013 Ascent Award Winners

• Crellin Handling Equipment, Inc., East Providence, R.I.
• J.H. Ryder Machinery Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario
• J.V. Equipment, Inc., Edinburg, Texas
• Naumann/Hobbs Material Handling, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Charlotte, N.C.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Columbus, Ohio
• Crown Lift Trucks, Dayton, Ohio
• Crown Lift Trucks, Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Milwaukee, Wis./Madison, Wis./Green Bay, Wis.
• Crown Lift Trucks, Portland, Maine.