JCB has donated the use of various machines to assist with cleanup efforts in Georgia and Alabama.
John Patterson, chairman and CEO, says these latest donations reflect the company’s ongoing support of disaster relief efforts worldwide. “The residents of Georgia and Alabama are JCB’s neighbors here in the United States and upon learning of the devastation left behind by the recent storms, we knew we wanted to help them in any way we could,” he says.
JCB employees in Savannah and dealers in Georgia and Alabama have devised plans to donate the use of heavy equipment to launch the long recovery process in the areas hit hardest by the storms:
* Spencer Howard, a member of JCB’s demonstration crew based in the firm’s North American headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, came up with the idea to take a JCB 280 skid steer loader with fork, bucket and grapple attachments to Ringgold, Georgia, to began clearing roadways. Howard became part of a volunteer crew the weekend following the April 27th storm, using the skid steer to clear as much debris as possible.
* Peter Cunningham, JCB’s district manager in Alabama and Florida, together with Mark Long, president and owner of JCB of Alabama, secured a JCB 3CX backhoe from JCB’s Savannah headquarters. The dealership has loaned the backhoe to the City of Dora, Alabama. “The more machines we can offer to the local municipalities, the faster we can help the residents of these areas recover from this disaster,” Long says. JCB of Alabama has also donated the use of equipment to the communities of Fultondale and Hueytown, Alabama. “We wanted to ensure that smaller towns and cities are getting the help they need,” Long comments.
*JCB of Georgia loaned a 3CX backhoe to David Mills, who owns and operates David Mills Construction of Ringgold, Georgia. “I’ve been using my own equipment to help out, but the use of the donated machine has helped us remove even more debris in less time,” says Mills. Mills will use the 3CX to clean up tree debris from building scrap material — a long and arduous process.
“Our global presence makes us acutely aware of the need to support our partners, friends and neighbors, wherever they may be,” JCB’s Patterson explains. “It’s our hope that these donations will continue to make a positive impact upon the lives of those people who have been affected by these natural disasters.”
For more information, go to www.jcbna.com.
