Yale Representative recognized for hard work and vision as part of major accounts team

Yale Lift Truck Technologies announced that Adam Kolb, Sales Account Representative, Major Accounts Management, has been named a Rock Star of the Supply Chain by Food Logistics magazine. Kolb was honored in the ‘rising star’ category, which recognizes supply chain professionals under the age of 40 whose achievements, hard work and vision have shaped the global cold food supply chain.

“Most of our major accounts team have well over 10-15 years of experience. Adam’s insatiable drive to learn and find the right people has helped propel him to reach that level in just five,” says 0, Director of Major Accounts. “That same approach and aptitude for learning is present when working with customers, enabling him to quickly understand their operation and what makes them tick, and develop a thoughtful, customer-driven solution.”

Kolb approaches customer engagements through a consultative lens that goes far beyond simply “selling forklifts.” He goes through a process of reviewing customer requirements, relevant challenges and key performance indicators (KPIs) and starts conversations with data, not lift trucks. Ultimately, he focuses on opportunities to improve operational efficiencies and cost savings, rather than simply quoting off-the shelf solutions to face off against similar offerings from competitors.

This extends to providing solution recommendations that steer customers to less expensive options in the event the highest-performance technology does not fit requirements. In one instance, Kolb assessed the needs of a frozen food facility and found that while lithium-ion batteries would have been a viable option, going that route would have resulted in the customer paying for more than necessary. Instead, he recommended Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) batteries as an alternative, which resulted in a savings of $9,000 or more per truck for the customer.

Kolb holds a bachelor’s degree and master of business administration from East Carolina University. Since joining Yale over five years ago, he has accumulated well-rounded experience with roles in order management and supply chain, emerging technology, sales and account management.