Mack Ready to Celebrate Centennial
14 January 2000
Mack Ready to Celebrate Centennial; Year-Long Celebration to Mark 100th Anniversary of World's Most Famous Truck
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.--Jan. 13, 2000--Any company can celebrate the start of the 21st Century, but few can say they've been in business since the start of the 20th.Mack Trucks, Inc. is one of those few, and the company is set to celebrate its Centennial with a variety of special events throughout 2000.
"From a small Brooklyn wagon shop, Mack has grown to become one of the world's most famous brands," said Mack President and CEO Michel Gigou. "Today's Mack employees are proud to carry on a tradition that has made the Mack name and Bulldog(R) trademark synonymous with quality, dependability and performance."
The company began the celebration with the publication of "Mack: Driven for a Century," an officially licensed, 175-page photographic history of the Mack(R) truck. The book demonstrates through pictures the key role Mack products have played in the history of this century -- from the two World Wars, to major construction projects like the Hoover Dam and the New York City subway system.
A special edition of the book can be reserved today at the company stores ("The Mack Shop") and online at www.macktrucks.com/mackshop. The standard edition is available at national and regional book retailers.
"Driven for a Century" will also be the theme for a series of special events and projects throughout the year, a highlight of which will be a unique traveling historical exhibit, housed in a trailer and transported by the new Vision by Mack(TM) highway tractor.
The exhibit will be introduced first to Mack employees and their communities in the Lehigh Valley, PA, Hagerstown, MD, and Winnsboro, SC, and then to the industry at the "World of Concrete 2000" truck show in Orlando, FL (February 21-24). The exhibit then begins a full schedule of appearances across North America at other Mack facilities, community and industry events, schools, and Mack distributorships.
The public will also have the opportunity to experience today's Mack products, people, and facilities during a weekend of "Open Houses" at most major facilities and distributorships across North America, scheduled for June 17-18. In the Lehigh Valley, the Macungie Assembly Operations' Open House will coincide with the Antique Truck Club of America's annual show at Macungie Memorial Park.
A special event is also being organized in New York City to commemorate the sale of the Mack brothers' first motorized vehicle -- a chain-driven, 20-passenger sightseeing bus, hand-built in their Brooklyn wagon shop. The company's ties to the city have remained strong, and Mack continues to be a major supplier of vehicles to the New York Police, Fire and Sanitation Departments.
Other Centennial highlights include employee celebrations at all major facilities; the publication of commemorative anniversary editions of Mack's Bulldog(R) dealer/customer magazine and Macktivities employee magazine; sponsorship of the American Truck Historical Society's Annual Convention, which will be held next year in Valley Forge, PA, from May 25 to 28; and a special VIP Centennial reception on June 26 at the 2000 U.S. Senior Open golf championship, which is being held at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, PA.
Mack enthusiasts interested in preserving a piece of the company's history will be able to choose commemorative items from a completely new line of about 60 officially licensed Mack Centennial products. The collection includes everything from apparel to limited edition die-cast collectors' trucks; from custom billiard cues and dart boards, to fine crystal.
The company has also commissioned three pieces of original art, which will be unveiled during special events throughout the year, and available in a variety of formats through The Mack Shops.
Dedicated to quality, reliability, and total customer satisfaction, Mack Trucks, Inc. has provided innovative, forward-thinking products and services to its customers worldwide for an entire century. Mack is one of North America's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, in addition to major product components.
The company also markets a line of medium-duty diesel trucks throughout North America. MACK vehicles are sold and serviced in more than 65 countries worldwide.
For more information about Mack, visit our Web site at www.macktrucks.com