As part of the year-long 50th anniversary celebration of the Bobcat loader, a traveling historical exhibit is visiting 23 Bobcat dealers in the United States and Canada. The Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour stopped at Garden State Bobcat on June 19.

In addition to marking the Bobcat 50th anniversary, Garden State Bobcat celebrated 25 years in business serving customers in New Jersey.

Guests who visited Garden State Bobcat viewed an exhibit with an overview of Bobcat history, several early Bobcat loaders and a collection of Bobcat memorabilia from the past 50 years.

Attendees viewed demonstrations showing Bobcat equipment and the numerous applications the equipment can perform when used with Bobcat attachments. Demonstrations were given for the Bobcat radio remote-control system, the new Bobcat roller suspension system for compact track loaders and the Bobcat forestry cutter attachment.

Several door prizes were given away throughout the day. Joe La Morgese of American Paving Company won a $2,500 gift certificate good toward equipment, parts or service from Garden State Bobcat. Deborah Falco of Precision Paving Inc. won a Bobcat attachment.

Ten attendees were selected as finalists for The Great Road Tour Giveaway. At the end of the Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour, finalists from each dealership will be included in a national drawing. The winner of The Great Road Tour Giveaway will receive one of two $50,000 contractor equipment packages. The finalists included Peter Harrington of PH Recycling, Joe McNamara of Exterior Views Landscape, George Dimitrov of Statewide Pool Installation, Ben Kokin of Neil Brooks Plumbing and Heating, Adam Reese of Reese Enterprises, James Picon of JR Custom Landscaping, Michael Mazza of Mercer Group, Rick Kaiser of Kaiser Landscape Inc., Joseph Scaramuzzo of Cutting Edge Lawn Service and Ron Cording of Cording Landscape Design.

In 1958, a company from North Dakota forged a partnership with two blacksmith-inventor brothers and built a machine that changed the way people worked. Melroe Manufacturing Company purchased the rights to an innovative machine designed by Cyril and Louis Keller. The first Melroe Self-Propelled Loader was a three-wheeled, front-end loader that was the precursor to the skid-steer loader in 1960 and the Bobcat brand two years later.

Throughout 2008, Bobcat Company will commemorate the partnership between the Melroe brothers and the Keller brothers, and the little loader that started the compact equipment industry 50 years ago.

Garden State Bobcat owns and operates three Bobcat dealer locations:

• Garden State Bobcat, 999 Route 33 in Freehold, N.J.

• Bobcat of Central Jersey, 45 Route 22 East, Green Brook, N.J.

• South Jersey Bobcat Company, 155 Hurffville-Crosskeys Road, Sewell, N.J.

Bobcat Company, headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International (DII), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment.

For more information, visit www.newjerseybobcat.com.

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