Fontaine Modification Company Trainees Brought Up to the Majors

Charlotte, N.C. (Oct. 20, 2010) — The inaugural class of Fontaine Modification Company’s Management Trainee Program is starting to make a real impact on the company as its members move into management positions.

Fontaine Modification Company is a leading provider of truck modification services for OEMs, dealers and fleets throughout North America. To prepare for future growth and expansion, the company launched a management training program in 2009. Through the program, Fontaine hires recently graduated mechanical and electrical engineers who then undertake a series of short-term assignments. Everyone in the program starts as an hourly technician modifying trucks on the production floor. After 90 to 120 days on the production floor, the trainees rotate through various assignments in areas including quality control, process engineering, sales, and operations in order to develop a well-rounded perspective.

            Fontaine Modification Company President Will Trantham compares the philosophy behind the training program to Major League Baseball’s farm system.

            “We are training our future business leaders,” he explains. “Just as the farm system allows baseball teams to build stronger, longer-lasting teams than they would if they hired all free agents, we’re building our bench strength by hiring talented people early in their careers and nurturing them through training and opportunities to do great things as part of the Fontaine Modification team.”

Four people with mechanical engineering degrees are currently in the program:

·        Shelby Simes, a 2009 graduate of Lawrence Technological University, was recently promoted to corporate procurement manager.

·        Ivan Barnes, a 2009 graduate of the University of Arizona, was put in charge of Fontaine’s newest modification center in Laredo, Texas, earlier this year.

·        Chris VanDeWiele, a 2007 graduate of the University of Michigan, is now serving as Fontaine’s inventory control manager.

·        Mike Knisley, a 2009 graduate of the Ohio State University, is an engineer dedicated to Fontaine Modification customer Hino Trucks.

The tight job market and unique entrepreneurial opportunities available at Fontaine combine to make the Management Trainee Program appealing to candidates.

 “Only two of my 20 to 30 friends in the engineering program actually had jobs on graduation day,” Simes says. “This training program was a great opportunity to learn the business from the bottom up. I’m focused on the big picture and learning as much as I can, so I’ll be prepared to run my own modification center in the future.”

Ivan Barnes was a top swimmer in school, leaving him little time for much else beyond studying. As a result, serving as satellite manager for Fontaine is his first “real job,” he says.

“I thought this was a really great opportunity for someone my age to get to run my own facility,” he says. “The training gave me a broad exposure to the business processes and philosophies to prepare me for this position.”

Fontaine is recruiting for its next class of management trainees. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical or electrical engineering, CAD experience, relocation capabilities, a hands-on mechanical aptitude, an outgoing and empathetic personality, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Interested candidates should contact Trantham directly at Will.Trantham@fontainemod.com or (205) 485-4282.

For more information about Fontaine Modification, call 800.FONTAINE (800.366.8246) or visit the company’s website www.fontainemod.com.

About Fontaine Modification

            Based in Charlotte, N.C., Fontaine Modification is North America’s most comprehensive provider of truck modification services for OEMs, dealers and fleets. Fontaine uses established ship-thru agreements with all major truck manufacturers to streamline the final delivery process to the end-user. The company’s modification centers are located conveniently near OEM truck manufacturing facilities in Garland, Texas; Laredo, Texas; Springfield, Ohio; Hagerstown, Ind.;

Charlotte, N.C.; Dublin, Va.; and Williamstown, W.V. The Charlotte location also houses the company headquarters and Innovation Center.

Fontaine is a Marmon Highway Technologies (MHT) company. MHT companies support the transportation industry worldwide with a wide range of high-quality products and services. MHT companies are members of The Marmon Group, an international association of business units that operate independently within diverse business sectors. The Marmon Group is a Berkshire Hathaway Company.

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10/13/10