State Senator Seth Lewis, representing the Illinois 24th district, and State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro, representing the Illinois 48th district, both presented proclamations of congratulations to the 40-year old company on its successes and longevity, and also had the opportunity to tour the Roselle, IL facility.
The company celebrated the anniversary with a day-long Open House themed “What Does 2024 and Beyond Look Like?” The Open House celebrated the past 40 years and brought together leading Material Handling experts to look at what the future holds. Presentations included: “IoT and Predictive Maintenance,”; “Sustainability and Energy Efficiency,”; “Warehouse Automation Adoption,”; “Labor Savings and Efficiency with Safety Improvements,” and a panel discussion, “Emerging Technology in Material Handling for 2024 and Beyond.” Guests also saw live demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies, and toured the facility.
State Senator Seth Lewis and State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro were given a tour of the facility and also each presented proclamations from the Illinois legislature congratulating Cherry’s on its milestone anniversary. In addition, Roselle, IL Mayor David Pileski’s office presented a citation of congratulations from the Village of Roselle on the company’s anniversary.
John Costello , CEO of Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, said, “We were delighted to welcome Senator Lewis and Representative Sanalitro to our company. We greatly appreciate their interest in our story and our work, and we are also grateful to Mayor Pileski and his team for their kind words as well.”
Mr. Costello reflected on how much thing have changed since Cherry’s first opened its doors in 1983 under the leadership of founder Bud Cherry. A gallon of gasoline cost $1.23, Ronald Reagan was the U.S. President, and an average home in Illinois sold for $69,000. “As much as our world has changed, though, the changes in our industry have been phenomenal.” He noted the market innovations, the increased use of automation, and breakthroughs in equipment that provides greater workplace safety.
John Costello has been an owner of the company since 2006 and the sole owner since 2014. The company expanded from its original location in Bensenville, IL to Elk Grove Village and now to Roselle, which has twice the space of its previous location. Cherry’s has placed nearly 4000 machines worldwide and continues to produce new product lines with an eye toward the future.
One of the accomplishments that Mr. Costello is especially proud of is the company’s adoption of the Open Book Management style of business, where the company shares financials with employees and gives employees a stake in the outcome of the company. Recognized by The Great Game of Business as an All Star Company in 2022, Cherry’s went on to win Best Places to Work in IL in 2023, a statewide competition promoted by the Daily Herald.
He added, “We’re excited for the future. New technology allows us to remotely monitor the performance of the machines that we place in service at our clients’ locations. With this technology, the machines can communicate with us and their operators and tell us what they need in the way of maintenance, parts replacement, and repairs to reduce equipment down time. This will revolutionize the way we support our clients through the life cycle of the machine. We can only imagine what other innovations will take place in the next 40 years!”
About Cherry’s Industrial Equipment
Contact
Michelle Clewer, Marketing Manager
847-354-6140
