Kristen Bell at Bell Fork Lift has focused on being a great resource to Central Transport for the past five years. Central Transport had been ordering Hyster forklifts for over 20 years when Kristen started calling on them. Though she lost her first opportunity at Central Transport for 50 trucks, she was introduced to multiple contacts.
“The first deal I was involved with was tough because we hadn’t developed a strong relationship with Central Transport. I made a vow that the Bell team would be a resource for Central Transport and be especially responsive to any requests that they made.”
Kristen built relationships with key players at Central Transport, including their Senior Director of Maintenance Field Operations, Corey Boland. Corey was familiar with 7-Series Toyota trucks but had previous issues with the traveling/material handling controller being damaged on their cross-dock application due to where the controller was located. “When I found that out, we provided an 8-Series demo truck to one of their local cross-docks here, in Detroit. There wasn’t an open RFQ at the time, but I wanted to point out that the controller housing was redesigned and better protected. We left the truck for them to use for several weeks, and their operators loved it.”
Central Transport’s growing interest in Toyota led to a meeting with the Owner and President, Matthew Moroun. An opportunity to participate in an RFQ for 350 forklifts soon followed.
Kristen knew that if she could get Central Transport to the Columbus factory for a visit, Bell could earn the deal. “I felt good about our chances of winning the order before the visit, but afterward, I knew we had it. Tom Lego did a fantastic job leading the tour for TMH. TMH conveyed the benefits of becoming an LDNA and talked about SEnS+, Toyota 360, and fleet management. Anytime we’ve taken a large prospect to the factory, it’s gone well!”
Central Transport is a Regional LTL Carrier, headquartered in Warren, Michigan. They have served the United States, Mexico, and Canadian markets for more than 90 years.
“The owner, Mathew, runs a family business, just like Rob and I. We connected well, especially with their industry and ours being bellwethers of the economy. It was exciting hearing each other’s perspectives on owning and operating a family business. Ultimately, it was a nice win for our team, with contributions and support from several different departments here at Bell.”
Central Transport is forecasting ordering 500 trucks per year over the next eight years, overhauling their fleet of 4,000 trucks to Toyota!
Congratulations to Kristen and the Bell Forklift team!
Pictured from left to right: Dorothy Johnson from Bell, Laura Smalarz from Central Transport, Evan Carosella from Central Transport, Kristen Bell, and Corey Boland from Central Transport.