40 YEARS OF DONKEY

From the Rocky Mountains to jobsites across America, the Donkey legacy lives on.

The Donkey story began in 1985 with a commitment to grit and a refusal to be outworked. Out in the Colorado Rockies, Ken Ensor looked at the legendary mining donkeys of the region and saw a blueprint for the perfect machine: compact, relentless, and capable of navigating the toughest terrain. He turned that vision into the first truck-mounted forklift — a revolutionary tool that didn’t just meet a need, it defined a new standard for the American worker.

Today, that legacy has a permanent home in Bay Springs, Mississippi. Every Donkey forklift that leaves our facility still carries the DNA of Ken’s original design, fueled by the same innovation, integrity, and American craftsmanship that has defined the brand from day one.

While the Donkey was born in the West, its future home was being forged years earlier in a small, converted livestock barn in South Mississippi. In 1963, Charles B. Holder, Jr. founded Southern Welding and Machine in Bay Springs. Over the next few decades, that one-man shop grew into a world-class manufacturing powerhouse, expanding into hydraulics, custom fabrication, and a fleet of proprietary brands. But the path wasn’t always easy.

That original barn door — now proudly preserved inside our Quality Assurance Bay — stood witness as Mr. Holder turned setbacks into comebacks. After facing challenges that would have closed most shops, Charles returned to the old barn and rebuilt his business from the ground up. It was this same resilient, stubborn spirit that would eventually draw Ken Ensor and the Hol-Mac family together.

Our history:

A Partnership Built on Shared Values

The integration of these two companies didn’t happen overnight. By the mid-2000s, Hol-Mac was already deep in the Donkey story, supporting Quality Corp. with parts, service, and day-to-day operations. From painting equipment to managing service calls, Hol-Mac lived the brand long before they owned it.

During these years, Hol-Mac President Jamie Holder and Ken Ensor formed a bond built on shared values. In 2008, Jamie sent a simple email expressing interest in the company’s future, but Ken didn’t reply right away. In fact, eight years passed before he finally replied. He had waited until he was confident that he’d found a leader who reflected his own commitment to quality and American craftsmanship. When he finally chose Jamie to carry the torch, it was because of a shared vision: to make Donkey the number one forklift in America.

The Legacy Lives On

Today, the Rocky Mountain spirit that Ken Ensor started and the Mississippi grit that Charles Holder embodied live under one roof. Every Donkey that rolls out of our facility today carries the DNA of Ken’s original design and the heritage of that 1963 barn door.

We are proud to carry this brand forward with the same integrity and ingenuity that defined it from day one.

Committed to Our Customers

As a Hol-Mac Company, Donkey Forklifts is dedicated to providing the type of service and attention to quality that can only be expected from a world-class manufacturer. We are committed to listening to our customers; after all, they’re the experts. From our humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, we understand the meaning of hard work and the value of integrity — we say what we mean and do what we say.

Today’s DONKEY® is tougher and more powerful than ever. Purposefully built for ease of operation and simple maintenance, we remain committed to ongoing research, development, and the principles of continuous improvement. Using state-of-the-art design and manufacturing tools, we strive to create the highest-value truck-carried forklifts on the market.

Made in the USA

All Donkey Forklifts are made in the USA

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