Construction Equipment Guide
470 Maryland Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
800-523-2200
Wed April 14, 2004 - Southeast Edition
On March 27, Metrac held an open house to celebrate its newly renovated Atlanta facility and to promote the new John Deere J Series wheel loaders.
More than 500 people packed Metrac’s Wendell Drive facility to check out the company’s new product support wing, dedicated component rebuild shop and reconstructed sales area.
The day’s theme was “Munson and Metrac ... Bulldawgs and Bulldozers,” with Larry Munson, the long-time voice of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, as the special guest.
“Each year, I write ads for Metrac’s radio spots before and after the Georgia Bulldog games. Last year, I began to associate “bulldogs and bulldozers... I thought it was appropriate to have ’the voice of the Bulldogs’ here for our customers to have a chance to meet him,” said Kevin Cruikshank, director of public relations.
Those in attendance enjoyed live music, food by the well-known Varsity (a.k.a. Greasy ’V’) restaurant and continuous door prize drawings. Children had the opportunity to participate in a John Deere pedal-tractor race, get their face painted or play on a moonwalk.
Highlighting the event was a rodeo with egg toss and basketball events. First place winners took home a Biretta shotgun and second place winners received a Shimano rod and reel.
Mark Fouts, Choate Construction, won first place in excavator basketball and Danny Weather, Dekalb Pipeline, took home second. Wayne Gibson, Gibson Backhoe Service, won first place in the backhoe egg toss and Maurice Epps, of Maurice Epps Septic Tank, came in second.
Metrac also held a scavenger hunt, which provided guests the opportunity to check out the company’s various departments. Scavenger hunters were given a list of questions. Those who answered all of the questions correctly were entered into the grand-prize drawing for a 12-gauge Beretta gold pigeon shot gun, which James King Jr., Dekalb Pipeline, won. The second place prize, a hand-held GPS system, went to Gene Cronan, of Cronan Septic Tank; while the third place prize, a satellite radio, went to Arnie Pittman, Pittman Construction Co.
The company’s entire line of equipment was on display, including Euclid rigid-frame trucks; Hitachi excavators; Fuchs scrap handling loaders; Dynapac rollers and compactors; Trail King trailers; NPK hydraulic hammers; and, of course, John Deere construction and Deere and Timberjack forestry equipment.
“The open house was a big success,” said Allen Cruikshank, company president. “The weather was perfect and the attendance was tremendous. Between the backhoe and excavator rodeo contests, climbing on the Euclid truck or getting a fill of the “Greasy ’V,’’ I am not sure if the kids or the adults had more fun.”