Rushlift, the specialist materials handling and airport ground support equipment and service provider, has proved that it’s a “great company to work for,” say staff, with a list of 14 employees celebrating long-service achievement awards in 2022 – in all, totaling 340 years of continuous service.
Carl Whyment, managing director at Rushlift, says, “This is a remarkable achievement for everyone concerned. So many of our loyal and hardworking team members are celebrating very significant work anniversaries this year – several with 40 or 30 years of service, and many more set to reach their 15-, 20- or 25-year milestone. I would like to congratulate and thank each one of them for their dedication, hard work and for the passion with which they have performed their individual roles.”
He adds, “This collective bank of experience, skills and knowledge, accumulated over so many years, is a very rare and valuable resource for our business – and a resounding endorsement for Rushlift as a great place to work.”
Founded in Bishop Auckland in 1978, the company has grown to become a nationwide materials handling service operation with six sites located across the UK – from Cornwall to Aberdeen, and throughout Ireland – employing over 200 people. The business now offers forklift contract hire, short-term rental, new truck sales, and reconditioned equipment, along with full nationwide service engineering, maintenance and parts support. A separate division, Rushlift GSE, provides ground support equipment, financing and servicing for some of the UK’s largest airlines.
Four of the longest serving employees are from the 130 strong engineering and technical support team: Andy Webb (30 years), Keith Smith (25 years), and Mark Duffield (25 years) are all highly experienced and dedicated forklift truck field service engineers and are keen to continue working on keeping customers’ fleets in tip-top condition for many more years to come. Technical manager, Keith Wedgewood (40 years), started out as a service engineer based at Bishop Auckland, when it was the only site, and is now bringing his knowledge and expertise to bear on ensuring that the service operation runs smoothly.
A further six employees celebrate 20 years working for Rushlift in 2022: Andy Gazzard, Gary Alderson, Carl Aylett, Peter Hutchings, Mark Pearson and Stephen Winter, with two more, Elaine Dennis and Andrew Patrick, serving 40 years and 30 years respectively. In addition, Sarah Conroy and Elaine Tilley will be celebrating 15 years with the company.
