FARMINGTON HILLS, MI (March 5, 2015) — Jeffrey Messer, president of Messer Truck Equipment (Westbrook, ME), was installed today as 51st president of NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry. Messer accepted this responsibility from immediate past president Mark Woody, president of Palfinger North America (Niagara Falls, ON, Canada), at the President’s Breakfast & NTEA Annual Meeting held in conjunction with The Work Truck Show® 2015.

“It has been a rewarding experience to serve on the NTEA Board these last five years,” said Jeff. “I’m looking forward to taking on new challenges and initiatives as Association president.”

Jeff joined Messer Truck Equipment in 2003, becoming the fourth generation in his family’s business, which was founded in 1899 by his great-grandfather Walter A. Messer. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Jeff served in the U.S. Navy for five years as a surface warfare officer and nuclear power engineer before entering the family business. He has worked in various areas of the company, including service, parts and sales, in an effort to learn the business from the ground up. Following the sudden death of his father, John Messer, Jeff took over as president in 2008.

Messer Truck Equipment marked its 115th anniversary in 2014. Today, the company represents more than 40 major truck equipment product lines and has a customer base of more than 1,000 accounts throughout Maine and New Hampshire.

2015–2016 NTEA Board

Also serving on the Board are Executive Committee members: First Vice President Matthew Wilson, president of Switch-N-Go, AmeriDeck & Bucks Divisions of Deist Industries, Inc. (Hadley, PA); Second Vice President Adam Keane, general manager of Allied Body Works, Inc. (Seattle, WA); Third Vice President/Treasurer Todd Davis, vice president of Phenix Enterprises, Inc. (Pomona, CA); and Secretary Steve Carey, executive director of NTEA (Farmington Hills, MI).
Serving alongside Executive Committee members are:

Distributor Trustees
·         Bill Kohler, president of Kranz Automotive Body Co. (St. Louis, MO)
·         Gary Lindesmith, sales & operations for Lindco Equipment Sales, Inc. (Merrillville, IN)
·         David Miller, president/CEO of American Midwest Fleet Solutions (Lone Jack, MO)
·         Dave Whitby, vice president & chief operating officer of Versalift Southwest LLC (Waco, TX)
·         Terry Wieseler, general manager of Truck Equipment, Inc. (Des Moines, IA)

Manufacturer Trustees
·         Wm. Craig Bonham, vice president – business development for Reading Truck Body, LLC (Reading, PA)
·         Ross L. Haith, Jr., president of Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products (Atlanta, GA)
·         Peter Miller, president of Pro-Tech Industries (La Vergne, TN)

Associate Trustee
·         Frank Cardile, senior vice president of ARI (Mount Laurel, NJ)
Bonham, Miller and Whitby are newly elected and will serve three-year terms. For more information on the NTEA Board of Trustees, visit ntea.com/nteaboard or call 1-800-441-6832.

ABOUT THE NTEA

Established in 1964, NTEA, the Association for the Work Truck Industry, represents more than 1,700 companies that manufacture, distribute, install, sell and repair commercial trucks, truck bodies, truck equipment, trailers and accessories. Buyers of work trucks and the major commercial truck chassis manufacturers also belong to the Association. NTEA provides in-depth technical information, education, and member programs and services, and produces The Work Truck Show. The Association maintains its administrative headquarters in suburban Detroit and government relations offices in Washington, DC, and Ottawa, ON, Canada.