October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual nationwide campaign to raise awareness around preventing, treating, surviving and grieving breast cancer. The ubiquitous pink ribbon that adorns everything from t-shirts to track loaders found its roots in the early 1990s, when the Susan G. Komen Foundation first handed out pink ribbons at its 1991 Race for a Cure in New York. The now-iconic bubble gum pink hue symbolizes breast cancer awareness, survival and activism.
This year and over the past several decades, construction equipment companies have painted various pieces of equipment that same pink to raise awareness around the impact of breast cancer and fundraise for organizations like the Susan B. Komen Foundation, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, among others.
Link-Belt painted an excavator pink and sent it on a nationwide Diggin’ for a Cure tour. The 2022-’23 LBX Pink-Belt pictured here was on display at the Kelbe Brothers Equipment, Inc. location in De Pere, Wis. in late August. The 15.2 metric ton excavator is on display now at dealerships in Texas. The LBX Pink-Belt Diggin’ for a Cure tour concludes in March 2023 at CONEXPO in Las Vegas, where the blushing beauty will be auctioned off. 100% of the proceeds will be given to the National Breast Center Foundation and St. Joseph Hospital Foundation’s “Yes, Mamm!” Program for early detection, education, diagnostic and support services.
Martin Engineering also replaced its typically orange paint scheme on truck vibrators, conveyor guarding, Twist Tensioners and inspection doors with Breast Cancer Awareness pink. Martin’s conveyor guarding, Twist Tensioners and inspection doors are prominent exterior components that, when made pink, commemorate lost loved ones and remind people of the ongoing battle against breast cancer.
“Since 2017, this popular campaign has allowed Martin Engineering to donate almost $50,000 to the Susan G Komen organization,” said Vibration Business Development Manager, Susie Orlandi.” Whether it’s with the helpline, financial support or assisting patients in navigating their care journey, we trust the Komen Foundation to support patients and families. Funds go directly to support breakthrough research and provide help for the women and men facing breast cancer.”
Martin Engineering
Ozinga Concrete, based in Chicago, IL, recently painted one of its ready-mix trucks, a 2015 Kenworth W900B, pink and white stripes, in honor of breast cancer awareness. Alivia Ozinga, the daughter of current Ozinga president Justin Ozinga, generated the idea and pitched it to the company’s vice president of fleet via a handwritten letter.
“Our company’s purpose is to make a positive impact on individuals, their families and the community for generations,” said Justin Ozinga, president of Ozinga Concrete. “Our trucks are easily recognizable and having one painted with pink and white stripes is a small way we can bring awareness to such a plaguing disease, especially one that is close to our family. My grandmother passed away from breast cancer, and co-owner Jeff Ozinga’s mother passed away from it as well.”
Ozinga Concrete
In late 2021, Sullair's one-of-a-kind pink 185 Series Tier 4 Final portable air compressor raised $32,500 in the ARA Foundation Charity Auction. Texas First Rentals of Cibolo, Texas, purchased the pink compressor, which became the highest bid item in the history of the ARA Foundation Charity Auction.
In addition to raising funds for the ARA Foundation, Sullair made a separate charitable donation to Susan G. Komen Chicago to support breast cancer awareness and research. The pink canopy was manufactured in-house in the new Sullair Michigan City-based fabrication shop with pink powder coat paint donated by PPG. Sullair then cut, bent, powder-coated, assembled, and installed the pink canopy onto the compressor. The pink Sullair compressor is powered by a 49 horsepower Perkins 404F-E22T diesel engine and delivers 185 cfm of air at 100 psi.
Sullair
At the ARA Show 2021 in Las Vegas, Hy-Brid Lifts displayed a hot pink all-electric scissor lift promoting breast cancer awareness.. A portion of sales from the show was donated to support breast cancer education and early detection for women across the globe. The all-electric scissor lift eliminates all hydraulic fluid for leak-free operation. Other features include 30 percent gradeability, indoor and outdoor operation settings, lithium-ion batteries, telematics, regenerative descent charging, active load-sensing, and proportional controls.
In October 2020, Mack Trucks announced a multiyear partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) that benefited from the donation of proceeds from the sales of a limited-edition production run of pink Mack Anthem diecast models.
The Mack Trucks "Pink Lady" is displayed through Oct. 31, 2022 outside the company's world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.Mack Trucks
Mack made an initial donation of $10,000 to NBCF, and contributed up to $25,000 more over the past two years, as sales of the diecast models continued. Mack also displayed the “Pink Lady,” a real, pink-painted Mack Anthem model, in front of Mack World Headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Mack Trucks
