SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. — Maxon Lift Corp., a manufacturer of liftgates for delivery vehicles, reports it has hired Hakan Peterson as vice president of strategic growth.
In this new role, Peterson will be responsible for identifying new revenue streams, both in and out of the liftgate industry.
“We could not be happier to have Hakan on board with the Maxon family,” says Brent Stratton, office of the president. “Hakan started Interlift in the early 1990s and successfully grew the company into a major player in the North American liftgate market. Outside of the Maxon team, we can think of no one in the industry that has the entrepreneurial drive and passion of Hakan.”
Peterson’s career began in Europe at Zepro tailifts. In 1985, he relocated to the United States, working for its U.S. subsidiary before it acquired Waltco a year later.
In 1993, he started Interlift Inc., a U.S.-based sales and distribution organization for Germany based MBB Liftsystems. His idea was to introduce European liftgate technology to the U.S. market.
In 2007, MBB (including its U.S. subsidiary) was acquired by the Palfinger Group. At that time, under Peterson’s leadership, Palfinger/MBB-Interlift grew to be the third largest truck and trailer liftgate supplier in the North American market.
“For over 30 years I competed with Maxon,” says Peterson. “They were always a tough competitor. I am excited to now be part of the Maxon family and part of the ongoing Maxon success story at the number one liftgate manufacturer in North America.”
“Hakan and I have maintained a mutual friendship partially due to our shared passion for motorcycles and the liftgate industry,” says Anton Griessner, vice president of marketing. “I am looking forward to giving him all the Maxon support to make him successful in this newest step in his career. Now, finally, we can actually plan a motorcycle ride together!”
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