FTS Trianing Team

David Hoover, President

A graduate of Miami University, David founded Forklift Training Systems (FTS) in 1998, after entering the material handling world in 1991. His experiences working for a forklift dealership in aftermarket sales, new equipment sales and major accounts helped him gain knowledge of how safety training should be accomplished and how forklift fleets should be managed.

David has trained well over 10,000 forklift operators and many hundreds of trainers for a variety of companies. He has served as an authorized trainer for the OSHA 10 & 30 hour general industry outreach classes and has attended many specialized training classes, including factory sponsored training with manufacturers such as Clark and JLG. David has conducted thousands of forklift and material handling safety audits and a large number of forklift accident investigations. He has served as an expert witness in Federal and State cases involving serious injuries and deaths on forklifts and aerial work platforms.

David loves his job and has a real passion for trying to find new and creative ways to convince people to work safe for themselves and their families. In his free time he enjoys riding ATV's, coaching the pole vault and spending time with his family and friends on their farm in Central Ohio.

Dan Smith, Senior Safety Trainer

Dan started his career with Ford Motor Company in Lorain, Ohio in 1969 as a production worker and later became a plumber - pipe fitter. His safety responsibilities started in 1992, when he was asked to teach a confined space class. In 1997 Dan became a full time trainer at Ford and served as the head UAW trainer, working with both the Union and Management.

He has served as an instructor for classes such as lock/tag-out, forklift safety, lifting and rigging, confined spaces, chemical safety, fall protection and aerial work platforms. Dan also served on committees working with job safety analysis, ergonomics, and accident investigations. Dan was also in charge of the fire brigade and rescue team at Ford. In 1999, after 30 years with Ford, Dan retired and moved to Columbus with his wife to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Dan started with FTS in August of 2005 and manages the FTS "shared" training program for forklifts and work platforms, among other things. Dan enjoys spending time with his family and driving his beautiful Chrysler Crossfire convertible.

Richard Evans, Senior Safety Trainer and Regional Manager

Richard (Dick) Evans joined FTS in October of 2006; he trains and manages in the territory of Indiana, Kentucky, and southwestern Ohio for us. He also conducts on site Train the Trainer classes for us in all three states. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, OH and was in the forklift industry for over 30 years. For thirteen of those years, he owned his own forklift dealership.

He has experience in fleet management, warehouse layout, and knows how forklifts should be safely utilized. Dick also has a lot of experience working with the paper industry and brings that experience with him when conducting attachment training. Because of his experience, he is able to communicate well with experienced operators and provide them with new, interesting information that they haven't seen before.

Dick is married to Linda, his wife of over 30 years, and they have one grown son. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and golf.

Customers in Indiana, Kentucky and SW Ohio can reach Dick directly at devans@forklifttrainingsystem.com or phone him at (513) 519-6947.

Kim Wingler, Senior Safety Trainer

A graduate of Franklin University, Kim has over 30 years experience working in manufacturing plants; 5 years in a food plant and 25+ years in pet food plants with Mars Petcare. Kim held a number of positions over the years such as Material Services Coordinator, Expeditor, Vendor Assurance Technician, MRO Capital Buyer, Site Commercial Manager, Site Logistics Manager, and Site Training Manager. These positions gave Kim the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in activities such as plant and system audits, contract development and negotiations, project management, and training development.

As a Training Manager, Kim worked closely with David Hoover of Forklift Training Systems (FTS), whose company was a supplier of safety training to his facility. Kim formally retired from Mars Petcare at the end of 2006 and went to work for FTS in January of 2007. As a Senior Trainer for FTS, Kim is the primary instructor for our Train-The-Trainer program and has traveled across the U.S. for FTS on various assignments.

When Kim is teaching a class you can tell two things, he loves what he is doing and he is a great instructor who believes in the messages he is teaching. His main goal is making sure people are well informed, properly trained and most importantly, SAFE! In his free time, Kim enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music, and playing guitar.