Pepsi MidAmerica hosts 47th Annual Forklift & Celebrates 50 Years of Dedication
Marion, IL – Pepsi MidAmerica (PMA) hosted it’s 47th Annual Forklift Rodeo on Saturday, March 22, 2025, with a special twist this year. In honor of Paul Horn’s remarkable 50 years of dedicated service, the event was officially renamed the Annual Paul Horn Forklift Rodeo, to reinforce the legacy.
The day filled with excitement, fellowship, and a heartfelt luncheon attended by more than 55 employees, family, and friends. There was a fun competition where trophies were awarded to the top three winners accompanied by prize money and gift giveaways. A total of 40 employees earned their forklift certifications. The event took on even more significance this year as Paul Horn, the honoree of the day, shared some personal reflections and wisdom gained from his decades of experience at PMA.
Before the event kicked off, Paul shared one of his personal mantras with the crowd: “I’ve always been a person who believes that you have to get off your butt and do your job. Too many people today want to sit on their butts, but not me.”
He also recounted a story about teaching his grandson an important lesson about hard work. “I told my grandson; you can’t be sitting on your butt. I placed a $1 bill under his chair and told him to look under it. He did, and he found the dollar. I said, ‘See, you got off your butt and made a dollar.”
Paul ended with a strong message: “You have to keep going. And I am always going to be the person who keeps going. I have worked at Pepsi for 52 years, and it’s been a great experience for me.”