YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Aside from daily practical use, a vehicle at Humtown Products in Columbiana also is used to send an uplifting message of hope and awareness.
That’s because this particular lift truck is painted pink to call attention to the survivors and those lost to breast cancer.
“People have life events,” says Mark Lamoncha, president of Humtown. “And we’re affected by that. We need to stop long enough to be concerned and care. It’s about raising awareness.”
The pink ribbon is the international symbol for breast cancer awareness. The color is often applied to scores of products during October, which is breast cancer awareness month.
Valley Industrial Trucks, Boardman, supplied the new lift truck to Humtown and painted it pink, says Jim Hammond, president of Valley Industrial.
“Several of our manufacturers have done a ‘pink’ program, and we adopted it more than 10 years ago,” he says.
Valley Industrial promotes pink rental trucks and makes a donation every October to the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.
“It’s a unique way to get the message out about breast cancer awareness,” Hammond says. “We had a team member pass away from breast cancer. So it’s near and dear to our hearts to share that message.”
Hammond says the company has delivered between 20 or 30 pink lift trucks in the Youngstown-Akron area over the years.
At Humtown, each side of the pink truck is affixed with the names of family members of Humtown employees who have survived and in memory of those who have died from breast cancer.
Humtown had two older models painted pink. When it was time to purchase a new truck, the company requested that it, too, be painted that color, says forklift driver Jeff Hughes.
The company manufactures sand molds used in the metals castings process at its plant on Columbiana-Waterford Road. Humtown also has an operation in Leetonia that uses additive manufacturing technology to make molds.
BYD USA, a manufacturer whose name stands for Build Your Dreams, manufactured Humtown’s new lift truck. It’s an electric vehicle powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery that can last between 15 and 16 hours.