Golden man repeats as winner at Dot Foods Forklift Rodeo National Championships

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Dot Foods, Inc., the largest food industry redistributor in North America, recently celebrated the crowning of its annual Forklift Rodeo National Champions at its headquarters in Mount Sterling.

From the Mount Sterling location, Jon Moore secured victory in the pallet jack competition. This is his second consecutive national championship win in the pallet jack competition, having also claimed the title last year. Moore, who lives in Golden, has worked at Dot Foods in Mount Sterling since 2003 and participated in Dot’s first Forklift Rodeo competition in 2006. He plans to use his vacation voucher to fulfill his father’s long-held wish to visit the historic site of Pearl Harbor.

The Forklift Rodeo showcases the expertise of Dot warehouse personnel navigating obstacle courses. Participants demonstrate their mastery of equipment operation and adherence to stringent safety protocols. Competitors maneuver through various challenges using narrow aisle vehicles, sit-down/stand-up forklifts, order selectors and pallet jacks. Judges evaluate performances based on criteria such as precision, safety adherence and penalties incurred, such as contact with the cones that outline the course or mishandling of simulated orders represented by basketballs.

The event drew 62 warehouse personnel from Dot’s 15 distribution centers across the United States and Canada.

Other national winners were:

• Austin DeLuna (Dot Foods distribution center in Burley, Idaho) in the sit-down/stand-up forklift competition.
• Erik Ruiz (Dot Foods distribution center in Burley, Idaho) in the narrow aisle competition.
• Ethan Blaire (Dot Foods distribution center in Ardmore, Okla.) is in the order selector competition.

In preparation for their annual peak season beginning in mid-August, Dot and Dot Transportation in Mount Sterling are actively recruiting personnel across various departments. The company is looking to fill 100 full-time permanent warehouse roles. Successful applicants could earn starting pay up to $27.05 per hour.

Dot Transportation also is hiring drivers. The average salary for Dot Transportation drivers across the entire fleet is $108,000. For those seeking a career in trucking but don’t have a Class A CDL, Dot Transportation provides tuition reimbursement for truck-driving school or paid tuition for those hired before attending school. Employees will receive $800 per week until they are trained.

To learn more about careers at Dot Foods, visit DotFoodsCareers.com.

• Top picture, Ethan Blaire, order selector competition
• Middle picture, Austin DeLuna, sit-down/stand-up forklift competition
• Bottom picture, Erik Ruiz, narrow aisle competition