Gradall Industries Manufactures its 20,000th Excavator

Gradall Industries manufactured its 20,000th excavator and celebrated it last week at its headquarters including employees, retirees, community leaders, local, state and federal officials.

Michael Roth

June 27, 2016

From left Ted Demattio a Gradall retiree who drove the first Gradall off the New Philadelphia production line Ray Ferwerda Jr and Fred Ferwerda descendants of the inventors of Gradall excavators whose dealership purchased the 20000th unit and Mike Haberman president of Gradall Industries — From left: Ted Demattio, a Gradall retiree who drove the first Gradall off the New Philadelphia production line; Ray Ferwerda Jr. and Fred Ferwerda, descendants of the inventors of Gradall excavators whose dealership purchased the 20,000th unit; and Mike Haberman, president of Gradall Industries.

Gradall Industries manufactured its 20,000^th excavator and celebrated it last week at its headquarters including employees, retirees, community leaders, local, state and federal officials. The 20,000^th machine was a Discovery Series D154 model, specially wrapped in red, white and blue to signify Gradall’s association with the “I Make America” campaign organized by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

The Discovery Series was introduced by Gradall in February 2015, a multi-purpose machine for ditching, grading and street repair.

“Today is an important day as we look back on the history of Gradall and look forward to the next 20,000 machines manufactured here,” said Mike Haberman, president of Gradall Industries. Haberman added that three components will allow that continued growth to happen: energy independence, a focus on education and regulatory and tax reform.

The 20,000^th machine was sold to GS Equipment, a Gradall distributor in Florida, owned by the Ferwerda family, descendants of Ray and Koop Ferwerda, inventors of the first Gradall prototypes in 1944.

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.