On December 1, 1964, Cal-Lift opened new facilities on Slauson Avenue in the City of Commerce as the Towmotor Lift Truck dealership.  Co-owners, William Christiansen and John T. Maechling started the business with a combined 20 years experience in the material handing industry.  Specializing in the lift truck industry, the business started with 22 employees.

​CIRCA 1964

Irving G. King Company, the previous Towmotor dealership, had given up its parts and service franchise, which was then administered directly by the Towmotor Corporation as a branch facility in Los Angeles and Orange County.  By locating the business in the City of Commerce, both the branch parts and service facilities were combined into one major dealership.

A year after Cal-Lift opened, Bill Christiansen was no longer able to continue actively in the business due to illness.  On March 20, 1966, he passed away and his stock was redeemed by the corporation.  In 1978, Cal-Lift became the Allis-Chalmers dealer in Southern California.

In 1980, Cal-Lift was awarded the Taylor Machine Works and the Ottawa Terminal Tractor lines.  These lines have enabled Cal-Lift to develop strong business relationships in the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach.

In 2008, Cal-Lift was awarded the Clark Material Handling line for Southern California.  The Clark brand will be a key growth opportunity for the company in the coming years, and a top brand in the industry.

In 2014, Cal-Lift was awarded the BYD line of equipment and feels this brand gives the company another great opportunity for growth.

In 2015, Cal-Lift opened our new branch in Colton.  This branch doubled the size of the company and allows us focus a greater effort on the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.  This is a full service branch.

In October 1995, Mark Maechling joined Cal-Lift  after graduating from the University of Oregon.  In 1998, Mark was promoted to President of Cal-Lift and his father continued as Chairman Emeritus.  In 2003, Mark purchased Cal-Lift and runs the company today with the same values and beliefs the company has had since 1964.

Our management team has over 150 years combined of material handling experience in Southern California and Cal-Lift enjoys an outstanding reputation for customer service and satisfaction.

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• We respect the individual both inside and outside the company, and believe that individuals who are treated with respect and given responsibility respond by giving their best.
• We require complete honesty and integrity in everything we do.
• We are believers in the Golden Rule. We will strive to be friendly and courteous, as well as compassionate and fair in all our dealings.
• We feel a sense of urgency on matters related to our customers. We own problems and we are always responsive. We are customer driven.
• We make commitments with care and then live up to them. In all things, we do what we say we are going to do.
• We believe we are here to make the customer more successful by doing business with us, rather than with our competitors.
• We communicate to provide clarity in understanding our mission, our goals, and what we expect from each other; we do so because it is essential to our success.
• We believe that work is an important part of life and it should be fun. We also believe that being productive at work is part of a satisfying work experience.
• We believe that every job is important and the role everyone fulfills is critical to our mission. We are all accountable. We promote on merit. We get ahead by offering superior customer service.