Crown's Dicke appointed to Export Council

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/1/2006

James F. Dicke II was appointed by President George W. Bush to sit as a public sector member on the Export Council in Washington, D.C.

As a member of the council, Dicke, chairman and chief executive officer of Crown Equipment, will aid in the development of policies benefiting American trade interests.

Dicke tells Modern that his role at Crown has readied him for the position. "Crown is an international company, so I've dealt with all of the issues that most major public companies deal with," he says. "I have developed an appreciation for supply chains and how they operate around the world."

The Export Council was developed in the 1973 to recommend export policy to the president's administration. "The council attempts to make the development of export policy something that is bipartisan," Dicke says. "With new (regimes), the policy isn't tugged in a new direction."

Dicke mentions that his appointment is not to sit as a representative of the lift truck industry. However, he says that with increased globalization and developing economies, international demand for materials handling equipment is poised to skyrocket. "More and more, non-North American companies are the real sales leaders in our industry," he says.

The council is made up of members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, private sector and cabinet members, he adds. "The experience thus far has been fascinating—not the type of experience that is normal in the business world," Dicke says. "We have a lot of dedicated people trying to do the right thing in an environment where the organization is so complex, it can be difficult to make an impact."