The Blueprint

There are a lot of men and women at Rotary Lift who go above and beyond to make our customers happy and our products the very best. This Veterans Day, we’re especially grateful to those who have served in our armed forces. There are 37 veterans who bring their talents, drive and commitment to our Rotary team. As we wish them all a Happy Veterans Day, we invite you to get to know a few of our veterans a little bit better.

Meet Gary Bennett.

What branch did you serve, and for how long?
I served in the Marines for four years.

What motivated you to join the military?
I needed direction and motivation in my life. My older brother joined so I couldn’t let him one up me. I’m a very competitive person.

How does your experience in the military help your work at VSG today?
The military gave me teamwork skills, drive, discipline and people skills that I use every day in my job.

Tell us a bit about your family and what you like to do outside of work.
I've been married to my wife Kim for 23 years. I have two kids: Lexi, 20 and Gabe, 18. Both attend IUPUI in Indianapolis. My hobby is fitness, I enjoy running up our local hills in town. I used to be a fitness instructor at our local gym for 6 years.

Meet Tom Cope.

What Branch did you serve, and for how long?
I served in the United States Marine Corps for five years. Two years in a line unit, two years in a chemical rescue unit and a year with the military police.

What motivated you to join the military?
It had been a dream of mine for years, and I had no idea really what I wanted to later in life. The Marine Corps fulfilled my dreams and gave me time to figure out what direction I needed to go.

How does your experience in the military help your work at VSG today?
One of my biggest take-aways from the military is mission accomplishment. I manage the testing and qualification lab, and that mindset of finding a way to get things done regardless has been a big asset. Sometimes we have to get pretty creative to find the best way to test a lift or component.
It is also a positive attribute when it comes to assisting other departments. I’ve never been one to pass the buck. If tech support needs help with a field issue, I jump right in to help figure it out, or head out to the location to find a fix.

Tell us a bit about your family and what you like to do outside of work.
My wife and I just celebrated our 9th anniversary. We have two boys, 4 and 7 years old. I like being outside hunting, fishing, four-wheeling and golfing. I also enjoy carpentry; building stuff with my hands and using power tools. And I’m pretty involved with our church and just ran a half marathon for our church’s charity to bring clean water to kids in Africa.

When it's time to buy a new auto lift, remember this truth: You won’t find the cost on the price tag. Not the whole cost, anyway. If you’ve ever owned a lift – or any other piece of equipment – you know there are other expenses associated with that ownership, and those expenses can really add up if you choose the wrong lift. There are several things that contribute to the actual, total, lifetime cost of a lift:

When someone first sees a mobile column lift, they usually think one of two things:

• There’s no way I’m standing under that!
• How hard can it be?

The truth is, both lines of thought are valid. Mobile lifts are easy to maneuver and set up, but safety should always be top of mind. And the key to safety is training (and reminding and retraining). Here are four tips for making sure your techs learn – and remember – how to use this handy piece of equipment correctly.

Purchasing a new lift is a big investment. If you want a quality piece of equipment you'll need to drop a considerable amount of money, and once you've got it in your shop, you'll want to keep it in mint condition as long as possible. After all, a broken lift can't generate revenue.

When taking care of your lift, be sure to follow the maintenance procedures recommended by the manufacturer in the owner's manual. Keep in mind, maintenance and inspection requirements vary for different styles and brands of lifts. In addition, follow the tips below to protect your investment.

As a business owner, you have a lot of decisions to make about how to use your resources wisely. Whether you're investing in new employees or essential equipment like car lifts, a wise investment will meet or even exceed your expectations. A Rotary SmartLift has been a wise investment that meets expectations again and again. Here's why.

Every time your fleet needs repairs, the repair itself is only part of the total cost. Time off the road increases driver downtime and can lead to customer delays, towing expenses and more. The good news is, some repairs can be done faster with the right equipment, or detected early and prevented all together.

When you’re working with equipment that weighs upwards of 20,000 or 60,000 lbs., safety should always be on your mind. Is your shop the safest it can be? Are your techs using equipment appropriately? Here are three important areas to focus on so you can keep your techs safe around truck lifts.

If you've ever had to spot vehicles on an auto lift, you know the stop-and-go dance it takes to get it right. 

But it doesn't have to be a guessing game. With a laser spotting kit like Spotline™, you can spot vehicles faster and more accurately—every time.

Check out our 3-steps to easier spotting below.

Expanding your service capabilities beyond light-duty trucks can prove to be lucrative, thanks to strong sales  that show medium-duty trucks—ranging from 10,001 to 26,000 pounds—are in high demand. The reason: They’re workhorses that allow drivers to transport heavy goods easily and safely, but don’t require a CDL license to operate.

“The number of companies that have drivers with a commercial driver’s license is almost nil,” Doug Acker of Mark Christopher Chevrolet in Ontario, Calif., told Business Fleet.

So while these workhorse trucks are made to adapt  to the needs of a variety of businesses, they do need regular—and specialized—service to keep up with the demands placed on them by users. That’s why investing in versatile lifting equipment can help increase your customer base—and your bottom line.

For years, the technology behind alignment equipment has advanced one small improvement at a time. Recently, big strides have been made in alignment to help shops save space and become more efficient. Many of those steps have been made by a company that you already know and trust: Rotary.

Today, Rotary offers a full line of wheel service equipment that includes changers and balancers. But it’s Rotary’s wheel alignment systems that really turn heads, because its major addition comes in the form of subtraction—their machines don’t require large, obstructive camera towers. And that’s just the beginning. Take a look at these six reasons to consider Rotary above the competition.