GREENVILLE, NC (April 30, 2012) – Starting today, Briggs Equipment and LiftOne will open their doors as authorized Hyster^® lift truck dealers in Atlanta and Charlotte, respectively. This follows a late January announcement where Barloworld announced that it had executed letters of interest regarding the sale of its US assets to Briggs and LiftOne pending a due diligence process.

The additions make both Briggs and LiftOne two of the largest Hyster dealers in the United States, both responsible for the majority of the southeastern United States. Briggs’ territory to sell and service Hyster^® brand lift trucks includes Florida, Arkansas and Atlanta, and portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. LiftOne will be responsible for portions of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

“Briggs is excited to expand both its footprint and product offering in the United States with the addition of the Hyster brand,” said Mike Winemiller, President of Briggs International. “The growth of our materials handing business brings more opportunities to our employees and better service to our customers. This acquisition provides our customers with more product options and quicker response times.”

“With the change to Hyster products, LiftOne’s focus on being our customers’ ‘trusted partner’ for their parts and service solutions remains unchanged,” said Edward Weisiger, Jr., CEO of Carolina Tractor, the parent company of LiftOne. “Our award winning service staff of more than 350 highly-trained technicians will be able to service all brands of material handling equipment for our customers. LiftOne will continue to provide our customers with equipment solutions to help them increase efficiency and support their operations. We are committed to exceeding customer expectations for quality, dependability and responsiveness.”

“We are confident Hyster products, combined with Briggs’ and LiftOne’s sales and service support, will deliver excellent customer satisfaction,” said Jonathan Dawley, President of Hyster Distribution.  “We look forward to maintaining our long relationship with current Hyster customers, as well as developing a solid relationship with new customers.”

About Briggs International, Inc.

Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Briggs International, Inc. and its subsidiaries are leading providers and renters of premium, materials handling equipment, currently with locations in the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico. In addition to providing Hyster^® brand lift truck and fleet management services, Briggs also represents a variety of other materials handling equipment manufacturers.  Offering full-service solutions to customers, Briggs supports its customers with financing, safety training, a market-leading parts inventory and 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week service programs. The company’s 1,000 service technicians are situated in 31 locations. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.briggsequipment.com. Briggs International, Inc. is a Sammons Enterprises, Inc. company. Briggs employs approximately 1,700 people.

About LiftOne

Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, LiftOne (liftone.net), a subsidiary of Carolina Tractor, is a full-service material handling dealership with branch locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and now Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Carolina Tractor has been in the material handling business for over 50 years and is the third longest serving Caterpillar earth moving equipment dealer and it celebrated its 85th year in business in 2011. In addition to offering a full line of material handling equipment, LiftOne is also a Caterpillar dealer in construction, forestry, paving products, and power generation systems, truck engines and LinkBelt cranes. Since 1926, the company has been committed to the needs of its customers by providing superior parts, service, and sales.  LiftOne sells, rents and services a wide range of equipment solutions to fill its customers’ specific needs. LiftOne’s service staff of highly trained technicians can service all brands of material handling equipment for our customers. LiftOne has been awarded the prestigious Five Star Service Excellence Award and its sales staff has earned multiple awards from manufacturing partners over the years.

About Hyster Company

Based in Greenville, N.C., Hyster Company (www.hyster.com) is a leading worldwide lift truck designer and manufacturer. Hyster Company offers 130 models configured for gasoline, LPG, diesel and electric power, with the widest capacity range in the industry — from 2,000 to 115,000 lbs. Supported by one of the industry’s largest and most experienced dealer networks, Hyster Company builds tough, durable lift trucks that deliver high productivity, low total cost of ownership, easy serviceability and advanced ergonomic features; accompanied by outstanding parts, service and training support. Hyster Company is an operating division of NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc. (NMHG), which employs approximately 5,300 people worldwide. NMHG is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of NACCO Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NC).

Hyster and are registered trademarks of Hyster Company in the U.S. and other countries.

For more information, please contact:
Brett Turner
Jackson Marketing Group
864-272-3014
brett.turner@jacksonmg.com

”OSHA was created within the Department of Labor to reduce workplace hazards and to improve existing safety and health programs. It is the responsibility of employers to adopt OSHA standards and make them an integral part of their company’s best practices. While there seems to be a never- ending list of standards and policies, let’s pay close attention to the top 10:

 1.      Develop an Exposure Control Plan. It is essential that an employer develops a safety process that fits their working environment. This process will help to ensure the most safe practices companywide. However, no company is accident-free, so this plan must also include a procedure for how to handle a situation if an employee is exposed to dangerous chemicals or materials. The Exposure Control Plan should be updated annually.

2.      Hazard Communication. The purpose of hazard communication is to ensure that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are properly evaluated. Once evaluated, it is important that this information is effectively communicated to employees and agreed upon.

3.      Permissible Practice. To control occupational diseases caused by breathing air contaminated with dangerous dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors, the primary objective of this OSHA standard is to prevent atmospheric contamination. Therefore, there should be confined spaces with effective ventilation.

4.      Occupational Noise Exposure.  When employees are subjected to dangerously loud noises, engineering controls must be utilized. Personal protective equipment should also be provided.

5.      Powered Industrial Trucks. This standard focuses on the safety requirements that relate to fire protection, design, maintenance, and use of fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks and other specialized industrial trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines. All new powered industrial trucks acquired and used by an employer must meet the design and construction requirements for powered industrial trucks established in the “American National Standard for Powered Industrial Trucks.

6.      Permits. This standard pertains to the requirements of acquiring permits and developing particular procedures in order to protect employees in general industry from the hazards of entry into permit-required confined spaces.

7.      Controlling Hazardous Energy. This establishes minimum performance requirements for the control of hazardous energy.

8.      Emergency Response. Employers must develop a written safety program for employees involved in hazardous waste operations. The program is designed to identify, evaluate, and control health and safety hazards, and also provide for emergency response.

9.      Safe Work Surfaces. Ensure protection on all floor and wall openings. For details, please visit: http://1.usa.gov/aVj8V2.

10.  Personal Protective Equipment. Protective equipment, including equipment for the eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields must be provided and regularly used.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Briggs Equipment is one of the largest heavy equipment distributors in North America.  For more information about Briggs Equipment and its full range of material handling products and services, visit www.briggsequipment.com.

Each year the Make-A-Wish North Texas Chapter holds a very special event that is close to the heart of Briggs Equipment. This event is Race for Wishes.

Race for Wishes is a community event where participants, wish kids and volunteers take big strides to make more wishes come true! Every dollar raised from this fun-filled event goes to fulfilling the wishes of our North Texas children.

This year, as Title Sponsor, the Briggs Team is very happy to have raised an outstanding $26,700! We would like to thank everyone who helped us meet our goal. Special ‘Thank You” to staff, friends, family, and volunteers. Your dedication and support will be well appreciated in the lives of some very special children!

Check out more pictures of the Race for Wishes event at www.facebook.com/briggsequipment

Briggs Equipment, one of the largest equipment distributors in North America, is proud to announce it has been named Trackmobile’s Distributor of the Year for 2011. The award is based upon Briggs’ outstanding achievements in the promotion of the Trackmobile brand.

“It’s a valuable partnership, and we are honored to earn this award.”

“Our relationship with Trackmobile dates back 60 years,” says Mike Winemiller, President, Briggs Equipment. “It’s a valuable partnership, and we are honored to earn this award.”

Briggs is a major contributor to the advancement and success of the Trackmobile name in and around the Gulf Coast region. The company provides superior customer service and support through new machine sales, rentals, lease programs, and parts while at the same time offering one of the largest selections of pre-owned machines in the world.

“Trackmobile appreciates all the hard work and perseverance Briggs has shown,” says Jason Hill, Regional Vice President Sales & Marketing. “We look forward to many more years of continued success.”

DALLAS (January 25, 2012) – Briggs International, Inc., a Sammons Enterprises, Inc. company, announced today that its subsidiary Briggs Equipment has executed a letter of interest to acquire a portion of Barloworld Handling’s assets.  With this acquisition, Hyster Company will appoint Briggs as an authorized dealer for the sales and service of Hyster brand lift trucks in a portion of Barloworld’s territory.  Barloworld Handling has accepted Briggs’ letter of interest.  Briggs is conducting due diligence of Barloworld’s US materials handling operations. Completing the transaction is subject to execution of a definitive and binding agreement.

Once completed, this transaction will position Briggs as one of the largest Hyster dealers in the United States, with responsibility for a large portion of the Southern United States.  Briggs will sell and service Hyster brand lift trucks in Florida, Arkansas and Atlanta, and portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Briggs will assume dealer responsibilities in these territories.

Briggs is currently one of the largest dealers of Yale brand lift trucks, with branches servicing Yale products and customers in portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Briggs International subsidiaries are also the Yale dealers for the United Kingdom and the Hyster and Yale dealer for most of Mexico. Both Hyster Company and Yale Materials Handling Corporation are operating divisions of NACCO Materials Handling Group.

“Briggs is excited by the potential to expand both its footprint and product offering in the United States with the addition of the Hyster brand,” said Dave Bratton, CEO of Sammons Enterprises.  “The growth of our materials handing business brings more opportunities to our employees and better service to our customers. This acquisition provides our customers with more product options and quicker response times.”

“We are confident Hyster products combined with Briggs Equipment sales, service and material handling expertise will deliver excellent customer satisfaction,” said Jonathan Dawley, President of Hyster Distribution.  “We look forward to continuing our deep relationships with current Hyster customers, as well as developing a solid relationship with new customers through Briggs’ efforts.”

About Briggs International, Inc.

Headquartered in Dallas, Briggs International, Inc. and its subsidiaries are leading providers and renter of premium, materials handling equipment, currently with locations in the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico.   In addition to providing Yale brand lift truck and fleet management services, Briggs also represents a variety of other materials handling equipment manufacturers.  Offering full-service solutions to customers, Briggs supports its customers with financing, safety training, a market-leading parts inventory and 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week service programs. The company’s 1,000 service technicians are situated at 31 locations.

More information at www.briggsequipment.com. Briggs International, Inc. is a Sammons Enterprises, Inc. company. Briggs employs approximately 1,700 people.

About Hyster Company

Based in Greenville, N.C., Hyster Company (www.hyster.com) is a leading worldwide lift truck designer and manufacturer. Hyster Company offers 130 models configured for gasoline, LPG, diesel and electric power, with the widest capacity range in the industry — from 2,000 to 115,000 lbs. Supported by one of the industry’s largest and most experienced dealer network, Hyster Company builds tough, durable lift trucks that deliver high productivity, low total cost of ownership, easy serviceability and advanced ergonomic features; accompanied by outstanding parts, service and training support.

Hyster Company is an operating division of NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc. (NMHG), which employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide. NMHG is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of NACCO Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NC).

Briggs, Hyster and Yale are registered trademarks of the respective owners.

Working with the Nick and Friends program of the Fight Sarcoma Foundation, Briggs sponsored an Angel Tree and shattered its goal of collecting 25 gift cards of $25 each by raising $1,075 to purchase 43 cards for sarcoma patients or for the children of patients. The San Antonio branch also sponsored a single mother, a sarcoma patient, by purchasing bicycles for her twin son and daughter.

In support of the San Antonio Food Bank, Briggs employees and associates collected 316 pounds of food. Briggs corporate provided participating employees with “Stomp Out Hunger” T-shirts.

“Everyone felt the need to do more during the holiday season, so we kicked off our giving projects at our Thanksgiving luncheon,” said Shannon Scheibe, Inside Sales in San Antonio. “The San Antonio Food Bank and Fight Sarcoma Foundation are very important to us. The food bank is a valued customer, and we know how important they are to our community. Our work with the Fight Sarcoma Foundation began last year when we looked for a way to support one of our own employees whose son was fighting sarcoma.”

Scheibe said the giving program took on a life of its own soon after it was launched. A customer sponsored the first four angels with four gift cards and, when 25 cards were collected the effort continued to help even more children.

“We all received a nice gift of our own,” said Scheibe, “when we learned the mother of twins went into remission. I’m so proud of our employees, customers, vendors and friends and our corporate support that helped us help others in our community.”

Nick and Friends:

Founded in March 2009, Nick and Friends was created in honor of Nick Shifflet and the growing number of people affected by sarcoma. The nonprofit organization works to raise awareness of sarcoma, support families of sarcoma patients and raise funds for research in hopes of finding a cure.

San Antonio Food Bank:

Founded in 1980, the San Antonio Food Bank is the 14^th largest food bank in the US and is the oldest of Texas’ 19 Feeding America Food Banks. The organization serves as a clearinghouse by receiving and storing truckloads of donated food, produce and other grocery products, which is then distributed to more than 500 service agencies located in 16 of San Antonio’s surrounding counties. Through the service agencies the San Antonio Food bank is able to provide emergency food assistance to more than 58,000 people in Southwest Texas.

About Briggs Equipment

Headquartered in Dallas, Briggs Equipment is one of the largest equipment distributors in North America.  For more information about Briggs Equipment and its full range of material handling products and services, visit www.briggsequipment.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/briggsequipment.

“As an employee-owned company, we are committed to our work and our customers. We take ownership and pride in what we do on a daily basis,” said Jason Burce, operations manager for Briggs Mobile, who has been with the company for nine years.

Briggs Mobile sees many of the industry trends common to the gulf region such as the intensified focus on domestic resources for oil and gas and the need for equipment to meet new mandated drilling regulations. With the prime location of Mobile’s ports and easy shipping channels, Briggs Mobile is expecting to see large growth in Mobile and the surrounding area.

“Mobile is unique in the fact that it has five class 1 railways, two interstates and easy-access ports,” said Burce. “It is a city set-up for expansion, and we look forward to meeting its businesses’ needs.”

Community involvement also is important to Briggs Mobile, not just on a business level, but on a personal level. As such, Briggs is active in many local events. Briggs Mobile sponsored a Habitat for Humanity house this year, and for the holiday season, the Mobile Team worked with the Children’s Advocacy Center to collect toys and had float in Mobile’s annual Christmas parade.

“We value our relationships with the community,” said Burce. “When we have the opportunity to make a difference in other’s lives, we feel good about ourselves.  This confidence carries over into our daily work. We are proud of our team and of the work they do.”

“Mike’s 28‐year tenure speaks to his positions of ever‐increasing responsibility within the Briggs organization,” Bratton said. “He has served in a variety of operational and management roles, consistently making contributions. After 28 years, you can rest assured that he aligns with our culture and lives our values. It was Winemiller’s experience and management skills that enabled him to successfully navigate Briggs through one of the most difficult economic climates since the Great Depression.”

Winemiller joined the Briggs Weaver’s Equipment Group in June of 1983, which subsequently became Briggs Equipment in 1996. Winemiller’s extensive operational experience includes serving as Briggs’ West Coast Regional Manager, responsible for Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego and Las Vegas, as well as North Texas Regional Manager responsible for Dallas operations. In 2006, Winemiller was promoted to Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and in 2007 was promoted to his current position as President of Briggs Equipment’s US operations.

About Sammons Enterprises, Inc. and Briggs International
Founded in 1938, Sammons Enterprises, Inc., is a diverse holding corporation that owns and operates companies in three core business sectors – financial services, equipment distribution, and hospitality and real estate – and is dedicated to building the world’s premier ESOP‐owned company through a commitment to high ethical standards, industry‐leading businesses, solid financial performance and a true values‐based culture, where every person makes a difference. The company also pursues a broad class of investments.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with assets approaching $50 billion, Sammons Enterprises consistently ranks in the top 150 on Forbes’ “American’s Largest Private Companies” list and was ranked number five on the “Largest North‐Texas Headquartered Private Companies” ranked by 2010 total revenue published by the Dallas Business Journal.

Briggs International, the equipment distribution sector of Sammons Enterprises, Inc., is comprised of Briggs Equipment, US operations headquartered in Dallas; Briggs Equipment, Mexico operations headquartered in Mexico City; and Briggs Equipment UK, headquartered in Cannock, England. The companies employ almost 1,700 passionate people with powerful solutions in the US, UK and Mexico.

For more information, visit www.briggsequipment.com

• Board member Thomas Corcoran has been named Chairman of the Board;
• Michael M. Masterson has retired as Chief Executive Officer; and
• Sammons Enterprises Board member David C. Bratton has been named Chief Executive Officer for Sammons Enterprises.

Corcoran joined the Sammons Enterprises, Inc. Board of Directors in December 2010, with an impressive entrepreneurial track record in the hospitality industry. Corcoran serves as Chairman of FelCor Lodging Trust, a business he and Hervey Feldman established in 1991. FelCor, a real estate investment trust, is the nation’s largest owner of upscale, all‐suite hotels committed to enhancing stockholder value and delivering superior returns on invested capital by assembling a diversified portfolio of high‐quality hotels located in major markets and resort locations that have dynamic demand generators and high barriers to entry. Corcoran’s service on hospitality boards includes: the American Hotel Foundation; past Chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, (AH&LA), Chairman of the AH&LA Governmental Affairs committee; and immediate past chairman of the International Association of Holiday Inns.

Masterson joined Midland National Life Insurance Company in Sioux Falls in 1995, becoming President and CEO in 1996. He was promoted to Chairman, CEO and President of Midland National and North American Company for Life and Health Insurance in 1999, and President and CEO of the Sammons Financial Group in January 2002. In 2003, Masterson was appointed Chairman and CEO of the Sammons Financial Group, and in 2009, he was named Chief Executive Officer of Sammons Enterprises, and retained his responsibilities as Chairman of Sammons Financial Group.

In addition to serving as Sammons’ Chief Executive Officer, Bratton will retain his responsibilities as CEO of Briggs International. A 24‐year veteran of Sammons’ materials handling sector, Bratton was appointed President and CEO of the newly‐created Briggs International in 2007, with responsibility for the profitability of the materials handling operation in the U.S., Mexico and UK and Sammons’ equipment distribution sector’s global growth strategy. Bratton has served on the Sammons Board since 2008.

About Sammons Enterprises, Inc. Founded in 1938, Sammons Enterprises, Inc. is a diverse holding corporation that owns and operates companies in three core business sectors – financial services, equipment distribution, and hospitality and real estate – and is dedicated to building the world’s premier ESOP‐owned company through a commitment to high ethical standards, industry‐leading businesses, solid financial performance and a true values‐based culture, where every person makes a difference. The company also pursues a broad class of investments.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with assets approaching $50 billion, Sammons Enterprises consistently ranks in the top 150 on Forbes’ “American’s Largest Private Companies” list and was ranked number 5 on the “Largest North‐Texas Headquartered Private Companies,” ranked by 2010 total revenue published by the Dallas Business Journal.

The companies of Sammons Enterprises include: Briggs International, Briggs Equipment – Mexico, Briggs Equipment – UK, Briggs Equipment – US, Sammons Financial Group, Midland National Life Insurance Company, North American Company for Life and Health Insurance, Sammons Annuity Group, Sammons Corporate Markets Group, Sammons Corporation, Sammons Retirement Solutions, Sammons Securities Companies, Sammons Equity Alliance, Compatriot Capital and The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa.

For more information, visit www.sammonsenterprises.com.

“Briggs Houston, as well as the other Briggs branches, represents the best manufacturers in the industry, including Yale, Taylor, Trackmobile, Ottawa, Sellick, Genie, Terex and Broderson,” said Chuck Mathews, regional manager of Briggs Houston and an employee of more than 13 years. “One of the unique aspects that set us apart from other equipment distributors is that we have the ability to both rent and service large equipment. As the largest Taylor dealer in the world, we are staffed with experienced sales and service professionals who are focused on making the customer experience one that meets and exceeds their expectations.”

Briggs Equipment is focused on reducing customer downtime due to equipment failure. Maintaining a large service area that extends far beyond the city limits, Briggs Houston accomplishes this by utilizing the latest technology, such as GPS Tracking which allows dispatchers to locate the closest technician to a customer’s location. Always focused on operational efficiency, this technology allows Briggs Equipment to spend less time driving and more time at customer locations addressing service requirements. Rob Anatra, Briggs Houston’s service manager, attributes the efficiency success of the Houston service department to the proactive communication of his team.
“Our service department has a phenomenal support staff,” Anatra said. “Through teamwork and communication with the different departments, we are able to serve a wide area and efficiently manage time and resources.”

Houston, over the past year, has seen many changes in the equipment industry. Briggs, which has a large customer base in the oil and gas industry, saw an increase in rental business as oil companies intensified focus on domestic resources for oil and gas. Briggs expects to see more growth in the next few years with the expansion of the Panama Canal. When completed, ships that are three times larger will gain access to the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, it is expected that the traditional shipping routes that had these larger vessels going to either the West or East Coast will transition to the Gulf of Mexico, where Houston has invested heavily in the infrastructure to handle the additional volume of goods. The Panama Canal expansion project is expected to be completed in 2014.
There are seven port locations in Houston, all of which require material handling equipment on a daily basis. While Briggs already provides parts and service for many of the port operators, the need will only grow with the anticipated 30 to 40 percent increase of freight movement due to the canal expansion.

According to Mathews, Briggs Houston has the experienced employees to meet the industry growth. They are intensely focused on meeting the needs of their clients, which Mathews attributes to the Briggs team taking the time to uncover the customer needs and successfully strategizing and allocating the available resources to meet those needs.

“The people make Briggs unique, and Briggs has always done an exceptional job of providing our employees with the tools and resources to perform effectively and achieve their goals,” Mathews said. “At Briggs, the people truly make the difference. The environment in our Houston facility is focused and fun. Great people typically produce great results. These folks are great, and I am especially proud to be associated with this outstanding team.”