Burwell Material Handling Expands to Florida Acquiring W.E. Johnson Equipment Co.
Burwell Material Handling has acquired W.E. Johnson Equipment Co., a material handling equipment dealer with locations in Miami and Fort Myers, Fla.
This acquisition expands Burwell Material Handling’s national footprint to 20 branches, strengthening its ability to serve customers across the Southeast and beyond.
Burwell Material Handling will update and rebrand the two locations of W.E. Johnson, founded in 1958. The upgraded facilities, which will include additional parts distribution, service bays, and rental equipment space, will allow the branches to build on their operations with greater access to resources, more brands, and an expanded lineup of services.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the W.E. Johnson team and customers into the Burwell Material Handling family,” said Kent Senf, president of Burwell Material Handling. “This move gives customers in Florida a smarter, safer way to handle their operations. By combining our team's strengths, we’re delivering on our promise to help businesses run better and grow with confidence.”
The acquisition is part of Burwell Material Handling’s strategic mission to deliver end-to-end solutions across the entire material handling lifecycle, from equipment and rentals to service, custom engineered systems, and fleet technologies.
“Whether you’re in Miami, Fort Myers, or any one of our 20 locations across the country, our focus is the same,” Senf said. “We’re here to help customers make better decisions, reduce risk, and stay productive with integrated solutions and responsive local support.”
Customers in South Florida can expect a seamless transition, the company said, with no anticipated disruptions to their existing service. Over the coming months, they will also gain access to Burwell Material Handling’s capabilities and product lines with equipment from leading OEMs, including Bobcat, Clark, JLG, Genie, and Haulotte.
“For nearly four decades, the Burwell family has grown their business by listening first, acting fast, and doing right by our partners,” Senf said. “We’re proud to carry that legacy forward by investing in teams like W.E. Johnson.”
Burwell is headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D. For more information, visit burwellmh.com.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.