GREENVILLE, N.C. (June 3, 2025) – Yale Lift Truck Technologies announces its panel discussion on talent acquisition at the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) 2025 Annual Conference, June 8-11 in New Orleans. Attendees can join the panelists on Tuesday, June 10, from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the Grand Couteau ballroom of the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.
“The warehousing industry continues to face a labor gap that demands strategic intervention,” says Brad Long, Global Activation Manager, Yale Lift Truck Technologies. “Addressing it requires operations to seize opportunities to expand their available labor pool and to develop the existing workforce through continued upskilling. That is why we are bringing together this multidisciplinary panel of experts to help warehouse leaders tackle these workforce challenges and shape a more sustainable future for the industry.”
The panel, titled “Close the warehouse labor gap with an expanded workforce,” will examine the labor landscape, including sizeable segments of the population that operations often overlook. The five panelists will share their unique perspectives on how operations can tap into these underutilized groups of individuals outside of the traditional pool of mainstream candidates. In addition to practical recommendations, they will also share their firsthand experience applying these tactics, and how doing so has not only helped to fill warehouse job openings, but ultimately improve operational performance.
The panelists are experts in industrial labor trends, disability consulting, warehousing and human resources. The panelists include:
- Brad Long, Global Activation Manager, Yale Lift Truck Technologies: With nearly 15 years of marketing expertise and six years in warehousing and powered industrial trucks, Long focuses the brand on addressing key industry challenges of labor, productivity and safety.
- James Emmett, Founder and CEO, James Emmett & Company: The founder of one of the most recognizable companies in disability consulting, Emmett is a global leader in implementing hidden talent hiring initiatives within the logistics industry.
- Brian Devine, President and CEO, Ignite Industrial Professionals: The leader of a warehouse recruiting firm, Devine started the largest survey of hourly associates in the U.S., has nearly three decades of supply chain staffing experience and is on the Advisory Roundtable for WERC and MHI.
- Julie Smith, Director of Human Resources, Kitchen Cabinet Distributors: An HR leader for a national wholesale distributor, Smith has extensive experience in retail sales and operating functions, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges and solutions of distribution center staffing.
- Edward Crowe, VP of Talent Acquisition, HR Strategy and Effectiveness, KeHE: An HR executive for a national food and beverage distributor, Crowe has direct experience with the warehouse labor gap and securing executive and organizational support for hiring initiatives.
In conjunction with the Annual Conference, WERC will release its DC Measures Annual Survey & Report. The report, which is sponsored by Yale, identifies the operational metrics distribution and supply chain professionals find most critical to help benchmark operations, understand industry trends and make informed decisions. Following the report’s annual release, Yale will publish an update to its companion white paper with actionable strategies for lift truck fleets to help drive performance improvements in key areas.
Images
To access images, click here.
About Yale Lift Truck Technologies
Yale Lift Truck Technologies leverages over a century of material handling experience and substantial investment in innovation to bring the most advanced technology-driven lift truck solutions to market. The company offers a full line of award-winning lift trucks, including reach trucks, order pickers, turret trucks, pallet jacks and trucks, pallet stackers, tow tractors and counterbalanced forklifts, as well as powerful operator assist solutions, proven robotics and a wide range of power sources to help customers adapt to today’s demanding supply chain. Yale and its independent dealer network support these solutions with comprehensive after-sales service, parts, financing and training.
Yale Lift Truck Technologies is a division of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Inc. (NYSE:HY) which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and operates globally.
are trademarks of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.About WERC
WERC, a division of MHI, is the only professional organization focused on warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment and its role in the supply chain. Through membership in WERC, seasoned professionals and those new to the industry master best practices and establish valuable relationships. Learn more about WERC at werc.org.
About MHI
MHI is an international trade association that has represented the material handling, logistics and supply chain industry since 1945. MHI’s over 1,000 members include material handling and logistics equipment and systems manufacturers, integrators, consultants, publishers and third-party logistics providers. MHI offers education, networking and solution sourcing for their members, the members’ customers and the industry as a whole through programming and events. The association sponsors the ProMat and MODEX expos to showcase the products and services of its member companies and to educate manufacturing and supply chain professionals.
Company Contact:
Brad Long
Yale Lift Truck Technologies
252-412-3652
brad.long@hyster-yale.com
Media Contact:
Dan Gauss
Koroberi
336-409-5391
dan@koroberi.com
