Ring Power Corporation News

In July, when Tampa Training Instructor Clyde Rogers got word that he had successfully completed the Caterpillar Instructor Accreditation Program, he doubled the number of trainers on the Ring Power training team with Caterpillar's highest certification. (Clyde's Tampa counterpart Roy Morrison had achieved accreditation a few years earlier.)

Then, in September, Abel Posada (St. Augustine Training Instructor) was informed that he, too, had achieved accreditation, pushing Ring Power's total to three CIAP instructors.

Why is this notable? It an accomplishment that generally takes 8-12 months of work (comprised of 5 online learning prerequisites, a 5-day instructor led class in Peoria, Ill., and submitting supporting documentation and videotaped presentations for review and critique.)

Caterpillar's description of CIAP outlines the program as “designed to enhance instructor effectiveness” and requires proof of subject matter expertise, exhibit the ability to make effective presentations and sound practical assessments, and delivers at least 80 hours of training per year.

In an email congratulating Rogers on the accomplishment, Training Manager Bob Delp offered this perspective: “You are part of a small number of elite Cat instructors that carry a CIAP certification. I just got off the phone with another dealership's training manager that has 11 trainers and none of them have their CIAP certificate.”

This is not the end of the work for Morrison, Rogers and Posada. The CIAP certification requires continuing development and documentation which must be validated every three years to maintain the certification.

Congratulations to the Ring Power training team on this accomplishment.

On August 5, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the appointment of Ring Power Vice President and Transportation Division General Manager Wayne Veitch to the Florida Commercial Motor Vehicle Review Board. This appointment fills a vacant seat on the board for a term that began August 5, 2016 and ends September 30, 2017.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Review Board (CMVRB) is a panel comprised of the Secretary of Transportation, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Transportation, Commissioner of Agriculture, and four additional members. The Governor appoints one member from the road construction industry, one from the trucking industry and one with a business or legal background; the Secretary of Agriculture appoints one from the agriculture industry.

This panel meets once a month to review appeals from those who receive penalties (fines) for vehicle violations relating to weights, vehicle/trailer axles, special fuel, fuel tax compliance, vehicle registrations or DOT safety regulations. This panel will grant or deny relief of those fines.

“I’m honored to be selected by Governor Scott to the Commercial Motor Vehicle Review Board,” Veitch said. “I look forward to serving.”

Veitch, 64, began his career at Ring Power in 1990 as a purchasing and facility manager. Five years later he was promoted to assistant vice president, with responsibility for purchasing, facilities, environmental protection and security. In 2010, Veitch was promoted to his current position.

Ring Power Lift Trucks has a surplus of used Order Pickers and Reach Trucks, so we're having a special sales event.  Below there is a sample of what is available: refurbished, certified, used ... if you don't see what you need, give us a call.

On Aug. 1, 11 ThinkBIG applicants and their families gathered in St. Augustine, Fla. for “signing day.”

“You guys are the cream of the crop,” Teri Brown (Customer Training Manager) told the newest ThinkBIG interns. “We chose you not just based on your mechanical aptitude tests and interviews, but also your attitude.”

The 11 students make up the class of 2018, and are the largest group ever to enter the program through Ring Power.

Over the next two years, they will rotate in eight-week intervals between classroom instruction at South Georgia Technical College and hands-on training at Ring Power.

In addition to the heavy equipment technician track, a generator technician track is now available. Ring Power worked closely with Caterpillar to develop the curriculum for the new track — the first power systems ThinkBIG program in the world.

ThinkBIG is a technician scholarship program offered by Ring Power and five other Southeast Cat dealers in partnership with Caterpillar and South Georgia Technical College in Americus, Ga.

Welcome, Class of 2018!

May marked a big month for giving back to Ring Power communities — not only in terms of the money raised during our company’s annual Employee Giving campaign, but also through acts of kindness, caring and generosity of spirit.

EMPLOYEE GIVING CHECK PRESENTATION

In mid-May, Ring Power COO David Alban presented a check for $115,000 to representatives from the United Way, American Cancer Society and American Heart Association. This money, contributed by employees in all our divisions and at all our locations and combined with Ring Power’s corporate match, is currently being used to help fund the assistance programs that support the well-being of the local communities where all Ring Power employees live and work.

EMPLOYEES TAKE PART IN UNITED WAY DAY OF CARING

On May 21, a group of Power Systems employees from St. Augustine volunteered their Saturday off to do a variety of much needed property beautification and clean-up projects for “Learn to Read” of St. Johns County — a United Way partner agency that provides free tutoring in reading, math, writing, language and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) to individuals 16 years and older. The United Way Day of Caring involved mulching, planting flowers, removing debris, and painting a conference room and lending library. Ring Power Employee Giving campaign chair, Jonathan Long, and VP/PSD Product Support Manager Dan Leach coordinated the service project in an effort to give back to an organization that directly benefits Ring Power employees.

EMPLOYEES LEND HELPING HAND TO HELP

It was late March when Tampa employees first learned that HELP (Help Empower Local People) of Fort Meade’s thrift store had burned down. The thrift store is a major source of funding for the United Way partner agency that provides educational opportunities, financial assistance and basic needs programs to the citizens of Fort Meade. Since Fort Meade is where our Surface Mining division employees live and work, as soon as Branch Receptionist Amanda Anders put the word out, Tampa employees swung into action — donating clothing and household goods to get the thrift store back up and running. In May, after an email went out to employees throughout the company, bags and boxes of gently used clothing and nonperishable food items began arriving — and continue to arrive — from other branches. In addition, the company contributed office furniture and facility personnel to deliver the donations to HELP’s new thrift store location.

“Give back to the communities we work in” was woven into Ring Power’s culture from the very beginning, when founder L.C. “Ring” Ringhaver dedicated portions of most days — and nights — to civic and charitable causes. He would be proud to know that Ring Power employees continue to uphold this long-standing tradition.

While many stand-by natural gas generator set providers claim to be NFPA 110 compliant, not all compliant units are created equal. Ring Power CAT units meet T-10 compliance which ensures that your facility load is back operating within 10 seconds or less. The next time you consider a stand-by genset, be sure to read the fine print. Some NFPA 110 compliant offerings can take 30 seconds or more, leaving your facility longer in the dark.

If you have any questions or are interested in spec'ing a stand-by natural gas generator set, please contact Ring Power today.

In March, Ring Power delivered two Cat 725C articulated trucks and two hydraulic excavators — a 349FL and a 336EL — to customer Herve Cody. These machines are currently in use on the largest river restoration project in the world!

The Kissimmee River Restoration (KRR) will be done in four construction phases and will restore flow and function to the beautiful, meandering river that became stagnant and lifeless after a government-authorized “channelization” project started in 1960 turned it into a 56-mile-long canal. South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) scientists are already finding that the flora and fauna that had disappeared are making a comeback and report that scientific data indicate that the restoration is meeting or exceeding their expectations.

Lance C. Ringhaver, chairman emeritus of Ring Power Corporation and brother of Randal L. Ringhaver, died Monday night, April 4, 2016, following a highway accident in Apollo Beach, Fla. He was 76. 

A well-known businessman and community leader in central Florida, Mr. Ringhaver was chairman and president of Ringhaver Equipment Company when he retired at year end 2003. In January 2004, the business merged with the family-owned Ring Power Corporation, headquartered in St. Augustine.

Mr. Ringhaver was a graduate of the Bolles School in Jacksonville and the University of Miami, and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He began his career in 1961 at Ring Power Corporation, the company founded by his father, L.C. Ringhaver, and was named president in January of 1976 after serving four years as executive vice president and general manager. In 1986, Lance Ringhaver was awarded Caterpillar’s Central Florida dealership and established Ringhaver Equipment Co. in east Hillsborough County.

In addition to his lifelong business pursuits, Lance Ringhaver played an active role in the community.

In 1999, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Mr. Ringhaver as commissioner of the Tampa Port Authority, where he also served as chairman. He was long involved in the pursuit of a Major League Baseball team for the Tampa Bay area and part of the Vince Naimoli group that was awarded the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1995. He remained an investor under current principal owner Stuart Sternberg.

Mr. Ringhaver served on the boards of The Florida Aquarium, SunTrust Bank of Tampa Bay, the University of Tampa; and Jagger’s Dream Fund, a non-profit organization founded by his late wife, Karyn, to assist in the adoption of shelter animals. He was a member of the World Presidents’ Organization/ Florida, a founding member of TEC/Vistage Florida; the Society of International Business Fellows, and the University Club of Jacksonville. He was also a past chairman of Associated Industries of Florida and served on the Flagler College Board of Trustees.

Mr. Ringhaver was an active and long-time member of Club Limited, an association of sportsmen, and valued his many Club friendships and memories.

Lance Ringhaver was predeceased by his wife, Karyn Ringhaver, in August 2014 and nephew, Randal Lee Ringhaver, Jr., in 1980. He is survived by his brother, Randal L. Ringhaver and sister-in-law, Paula R. Ringhaver, St. Augustine; his four children, Deborah R. Lane (Charles), Crescent City; Sherri R. Geddes (Timothy), Jacksonville; Mark Ringhaver, Odessa; Lance Kendall Ringhaver (Rachel), Jacksonville; and his nine grandchildren, Heather Lane Courtney (Will); Lambert Lane; Holton Lane; Palmer Lane; Hunter Geddes; Kylie Geddes; Brooke Geddes; Rylie and Caden Ringhaver; and niece Bree Ringhaver Alban (David); Lee and Carson Alban; loved ones Lauren Ringhaver (Rich O’Brien); and Shelley Minzenberg (Karl); as well as Karyn’s daughters, Terri and Shannon Sawyer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in his memory to The Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa 33602; Tampa Metropolitan YMCA, 110 E. Oak Avenue, Tampa 33602; Gulf Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 13228 Central Avenue, Tampa 33612; Flagler College Ringhaver Trust, 74 King Street, St. Augustine 32084; or Jagger’s Dream Fund, 6513 Bimini Court, Apollo Beach 33572.

The family will receive friends on Monday, April 11 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church, 350 S. Hyde Park Avenue, Tampa. Mr. Ringhaver’s Jacksonville and St. Augustine friends are invited to join the family at the Markland House at Flagler College, 102 King St., St. Augustine, on Tuesday, April 12 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

A private, family graveside service will be held in St. Augustine.

Ring Power Lift Trucks, Florida's premier material handling equipment and forklift dealer, recently received two awards recognizing it for its industry leading customer service and satisfaction throughout sales and support operations.

Ring Power Lift Trucks was named one of Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America’s (MCFA) Dealer of Excellence Award winners.

“This award recognizes an exceptional group of MCFA dealers that strive to continuously provide first-class customer service and support. We congratulate them for their commitment and appreciate their dedication to the material handling industry,” said Kent Eudy, executive vice president of sales and marketing at MCFA.

MCFA, is a leading manufacturer of new forklifts under the Cat® lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks and Jungheinrich® brands.

Ring Power Lift Trucks was also recently named a 2015 Promatch® Forklift Parts Dealer of the Year. This annual award recognizes each forklift dealer’s organization and employees for overall accomplishment and forklift parts performance.

"We’re proud to have been named an MCFA Dealer of Excellence and a Promatch Dealer of the Year. These prestigious industry awards solidify our reputation as Florida’s premier material handling and forklift dealer, and our commitment to customers before, during and after the sale,” said Ring Power Lift Truck’s Vice President & Sales Manager Joe DeJohn.

Ring Power Lift Trucks is the forklift and material handling division of Ring Power Corporation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Additional offices service Pompano Beach, Miami, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Ocala and Tallahassee. For more information on Ring Power Lift Trucks, visit our forklift website.

Are you looking for a rewarding career?

ThinkBIG about your future.

Ring Power’s ThinkBIG technician scholarship program helps you build a career you can be proud of.

ThinkBIG is a two year specialized program for those technically minded, hands on individuals with a desire to understand underlying theoretical principles governing some of the largest most advanced equipment in use today.

ThinkBIG students alternate between South Georgia Technical College and their sponsoring Ring Power branch where they put their learning into practice in paid internships. Upon graduating they have earned an Associate Degree in Applied Technology and stepped into a career where they will make a difference in our world while earning the means to build the life they've dreamed of.

"Joining the ThinkBIG program was one of the best the decisions I have made. I am not the kind of person to have an inside job, said Patrick Fortunato, a ThinkBIG student.  “This career, with the education the ThinkBIG program gives, allows me to be able to work my way through the company and have an almost unlimited amount of career growth. In this day in age the smartest decision any young person can make is to get an education.  For someone who wishes to be educated and have a fulfilling career working with their hands, the Think Big program, in my eyes is, the only option." 

A career as a Dealer Service Technician means no two days will ever be the same. You'll solve big problems, using advanced technologies to service and repair machines and engines, and interface with customers in more than ten different industries.

Click to learn more about the ThinkBIG Technician Scholarship Program.