Lexington, KY (March, 2009)  Chuck Martz, Chairman, CEO, and President, Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company, Lexington, Kentucky, has been named Vice President, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (SHI), Tokyo, Japan. The appointment, made by SHI Executive Management in Japan, is effective April 1, 2009. SHI is the parent company of Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. Mr. Martz’s appointment is significant in that he is the first officer from a U.S. subsidiary to ever achieve this level in the SHI organization.

Mr. Martz became Chairman of the Board of Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. earlier in 2009 adding to his current responsibilities of President and Chief Executive Officer. Martz replaced the retiring chairman, Mr. T. Nagano.

Chuck Martz joined Link-Belt in 1975 in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a BS degree in Accounting. After holding various accounting and financial positions, he was named Vice President, Finance and Administration in 1990. In 1994, he was named Vice President of Manufacturing and then Executive Vice-President in 1997. In September 1998, Martz was named President of Link-Belt and, in 2007, Chief Executive Officer.