1 Sep
Toyota Forklift 50th Anniversary
Being part of well-known company’s anniversary celebrations are always an exciting event for us. We enjoy the opportunity to be part of such a meaningful celebration story. Toyota Material Handling marked the 50th anniversary of its first forklift sold in the United State by inviting family and friends to Columbus, Indiana to celebrate with them.
The golden anniversary entertained more than 600 guests from across the United States, as well as VIP guests from their world headquarters in Japan. On average, Toyota’s Woodside Industrial Park campus, completes about one forklift every four minutes, with more than 500,000 having been made and sold in the United States since their inception here – this is cause to celebrate success!
Salad Station
Kahn’s salad, candied almonds, onion confit, tomatoes, roasted red pepper vinaigrette
Baby iceberg wedge, cherry tomatoes, shaved fennel cucumber slaw, bacon, gorgonzola, peppery blue cheese dressing
Assorted rolls, lemon rosemary flatbread, sundried tomato butter and french butter balls
Marinated baby carrots, cauliflower buds, broccoli florets, squash, zucchini, snow peas, medley of julienne bell peppers, asparagus, grape tomatoes and sliced cucumbers with choice of spinach and artichoke parmesan dip
Fresh melon, grapes, berries, pineapple, orange, kiwi and strawberry grand marnier dip
Paeilla
Spanish paella, grilled chicken, tiger shrimp, scallops, chorizo, mussels and saffron rice Caramel flan with amaretto whipped cream
Grill Station
Grilled filet of beef with peppercorn merlot sauce
Grilled salmon with Lemon chardonnay sauce
Trattoria Station
Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, roasted garlic croutons, parmesan, caesar dressing
Caprese salad
Red wine braised beef short rib
Wild mushroom truffle risotto
Roasted vegetable ratatouille
Tiramisu torte
Dessert Station
Chocolate caramel brownies, chocolate dipped strawberries, chocolate walnut strudel, rugelach,
lemon tarts, fresh fruit tarts, chocolate macadamia nut tarts
The gymnasium of the complex, a health and fitness center with exercise and recreational opportunities for Toyota employees, was decorated with flowers, draping chivari chairs and coordinated tablecloths. In a whimsical note, the gym scoreboard read “50:00” with the score being 19 for the home team and 67 for the guests, representing the 50th anniversary and the first year Toyota began selling forklifts in the U.S.
An anniversary would not be complete without a gift to the community and Toyota surprised the crowd with many. Toyota will be adding 50 cherry trees to its Woodside campus and planting another 50 more in the city of Columbus. This is in addition to the 50 scholarships awarded to children attenging the Columbus Park and Recreation programs.
Of all the surprises of the night, one that rang true with Toyota’s dedication to the manufacturing game, was a speech by Bob Knight, former Indiana University basketball coach.
