Our History

“Forklifts of Des Moines” was founded in 1976 as “Clarklift of Des Moines, Inc.” by Chuck and Ellie Radcliff and has been family owned ever since then through three generations! Through the late 19th century, multiple additions were made to our facility to accommodate our expanding company located conveniently near the I-80 and I-35 corridor.

Over the years, the industry continued to grow and so did our company, to better serve the increasing demand for material handling products, In 1996 Clarklift expanded west, opening “Clarklift West”, serving Nebraska and Western Iowa.

Clarklift of Des Moines, Inc., to provide broader range of material handling solutions, expanded our product offerings. In 2011 we felt it was time for a name change to better reflect the wide range of material handling solutions we can offer our business partners. On January 1, 2011, Clarklift of Des Moines Inc. began doing business as Forklifts of Des Moines and Forklifts of Omaha.

Our president

Our founders

Chuck & Ellie Radcliff

Rick & DeAnna Radcliff