Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Oct. 9, 2024 – Employees at Nice-Pak got quite the show on Tuesday morning as one winner was crowned champion operator across Nice-Pak’s US operations during the company’s Forklift Rodeo at Nice-Pak-Jonesboro.
According to Diana Hatton, Corp. Communications Manager at Nice-Pak, on Tuesday it was a forklift rodeo competition unlike any other with Nice-Pak’s top forklift drivers from Jonesboro competing against their Indiana colleagues in competitions that demonstrate skill, accuracy, and, of course, safety.
“This is the first time Nice-Pak has conducted its own forklift rodeo,” Hutton said. “Qualifying rounds were held in both of the company’s warehouse locations last week, so the operators competing today represent the ‘best of the best’ from Jonesboro and Plainfield, IN.”
Although this year’s competition was for fun and morale, there’s more to the forklift rodeo than meets the eye, Hutton said, noting that they are becoming more popular to highlight operator skills and emphasize skill and accuracy instead of speed.
Finalists from Team Arkansas included:
- Chris Hess, of Mountain View, who was Arkansas’ overall winner, said his favorite forklift event was the obstacle course. Hess was known as the “Big Dog” when he played high school football, but they still call him Big Dog because he is the best forklift driver at NP Jonesboro.
- Brent Miller, of Paragould, who was the second-place finisher, said his favorite forklift event was basketball. “Miller Time” is his nickname because he always likes to have fun at a party.
- Johnny Johnson, of Wilmar, who came in third place, said his favorite forklift event was bowling. A high school basketball star in his hometown, Johnson’s nickname is “JSMOOVE” because he is so very smooth on the basketball court, as well as a forklift.
Finalists from Team Indiana included:
- Jenn McCutchen, of Evansville, Ind, is the crazy plant lady, also known as “Babs”.
- Roberto Castillo, of Avon, IN, grew up being called “Chalico”, which has stuck.
- Brian Stearley, of Reelsville, IN, also known as “Chief”, is a volunteer firefighter and the chief of his fire department.
“Nice-Pak Jonesboro has over 250,000 square feet of warehouse space and their approximately 80 different forklift drivers across three shifts move 50 truckloads of wet wipe products on a typical day. So, they are indeed skilled,” she added.
Nice-Pak, which has been in Jonesboro for over 10 years, is a global leader in wet wipe products to clean, disinfect and support healthful living, Hutton said.
“We were the first company to popularize the wet wipe with the Original Wet-Nap in the 1960s,” she noted. “We work with major retailers and brand owners providing expertise in sourcing, formulation, consumer marketing and insights.”
