On par at Ohio beer meet

Not only do members of the Wholesale Beer & Wine Association of Ohio rely on Mickey Truck Bodies to help deliver their beverages within their respective markets, they can also count on Mickey to deliver cold liquid refreshment while they are swinging away on the golf course.

Mickey teed it up again at the WBWAO?s annual Summer Meeting & Golf Outing held recently in Dayton, OH by sponsoring the ever-popular ?beverage cart.? But to be sure, Mickey was just as popular on the meeting floor as it was on the links.

Joe Schetz is flanked by Tim Bechtold (left) and Jacob Evans, both with the WBWAO.

?This event is always well attended by Mickey customers,? says Steve Mason, Mickey?s Midwest Regional Sales Manager. ?The meeting gave us a great opportunity to highlight the products and services we provide the beer business in Ohio.?

Joe Schetz, VP Operations & Finance for Northwood, OH-based NWO Beverage Inc., a Miller/Coors wholesaler with a host of craft brews and non-alcoholic drinks, was one of the attendees grateful for the Mickey beverage cart during a hot and humid round of golf, and even more appreciative of Mickey?s quality products and superior service.

NWO entered the Ohio market in 2008 via acquisition, and in the process acquired 25 beverage trailers, excluding bulk vans and the special event trailers, 14 of which were Mickey units between 7 and 27 years old. Since the acquisition NWO purchased four new Mickey trailers from Steve and one refurbished trailer from Mike Parker, General Manager of Mickey?s Midwest Reconditioning & Service Center in Bloomington, IL.

?There really is a major difference in the manufacturing that goes into a Mickey trailer vs. the other guys,? says Joe. ?Over time, the Mickey trailer holds up better, requires less maintenance. It?s just a better built trailer. We also appreciate that Mickey is always trying to improve on the products it sells.? He mentions Mickey?s new E-Lock electronic door locking system and auto door. In addition, NWO and Mickey are looking at upgrading the beer wholesaler?s fleet of event trailers. ?Mickey is always offering ways to customize their equipment to meet our delivery requirements.?

NWO uses Mickey?s Midwest Recon for all of its repair projects ? ?everything from small jobs like replacing hand grips and door rollers to complete refurbs, including kingpins and fatigued metal,? says Joe. ?They tear the unit apart and breathe new life into it so we get another 6 or 7 years on the road.?

Because delivery vehicles ?get abused by the weather here in the Midwest, we have to stay on top of the maintenance,? according to Joe. At least once a year Mike Parker, The GM of the Bloomington, IL, Center ?comes into our shop and goes over and under every one of our units. Then I have a business meeting with Mike and Steve [Mason] where I get an honest assessment of the fleet. We decide if it makes sense to refurbish or replace in order to get the longest and best service from every unit. Mickey also helps us configure the fleet best suited for the nature of our business. It might be a 14-bay trailer for one route and a 20-bay for another. Right now I am looking at their Double Play trailers. With Mickey it?s all about product and delivery evolution.?