Humble beginnings...
Hoist Liftruck evolved from humble beginnings. In 1980, Marty Flaska started Forklift Exchange from his house in the western suburbs of Chicago, specializing in buying, selling and renting meterial handling equipment. Over the next decade, the company grew tremendously, and in 1994, Flaska acquired the rights to build cushion-tire forklifts from Brooklyn, New York-based Silent Hoist and Crane. Moving the business to Addison, Illinois, Flaska transformed Silent Hoist and Crane into Hoist Liftruck Mfg., Inc. In a few years, Hoist Liftruck became the preferred vendor for high-capacity cushion-tire forklifts for the automotive, steel and aluminum industries. In 1998, Hoist Liftruck moved its operations to its current location in Bedford Park, Illinois to accommodate its expansion, with Hoist Liftruck acquiring Cleveland, Ohio-based Elwell-Parker in 2000 and Bucyrus, Ohio-based Schreck and Autolift in 2001.