Young Descendent Of Mack Founder Gets Tour As Birthday Gift

[Mack 3P]

Communication from Mack News...

"Not many 16-year-olds get a chance to test drive a Mack truck for their birthday. But if your last name is Mack, well, that could make it a little easier.

Last week, Alex Mack, the great-great grandson of Mack Trucks, Inc. founder Jack Mack, joined several members the Mack family on a special tour of the Macungie Plant and the new Mack Customer Center in Allentown. Alex drove two different Pinnacle models on the customer center test track – first a day cab, then a highway model pulling a loaded trailer. He also rode along in a Pinnacle for a simulated road test in Macungie’s dynamometer room.

“I enjoyed seeing how the trucks were made and hearing stories about my great-great grandfather, but driving the trucks was the highlight of my day,” Alex said. He was also impressed with the size of the Macungie Plant, which has nearly one million square feet of space under one roof.

During the plant tour, Macungie employees were busy assembling the last of a 475-truck order for UPS. The visitors got to see electrostatic painting, cabs lowered onto chassis, tires mounted on rims – and the finished product, ready for testing and the final quality check.

Alex is a sophomore at Emmaus High School, which is located just a few miles from the Macungie Plant, and he enjoys things most 16-year-olds do – riding his dirt bike and playing video games. He also likes studying chemistry and assembling machines. His father, Thomas B. Mack, had requested the tour as a special birthday gift for him.

In addition to Alex and his father, other family members on the tour were John Michael “Skip” Mack and Jack C. Mack, both grandsons of the founder, and Jack C.’s son, Jack A. Skip worked several jobs at Mack’s “plant 5C” in Allentown from 1955-1960, including painter, welder and machine shop operator. Jack A. works for Haines & Kibblehouse, a loyal Mack customer in the construction business.

After the tour, Jack C. expressed his pride in the company and its products.

“We are all proud of Mack trucks,” he said. It’s the best truck in the world, and it’s put together by people who care.”"