Elliott Equipment Names Three Leaders to Omaha Team
Elliott Equipment appoints leaders in engineering, plant operations, and manufacturing engineering at its Omaha facility.
October 28, 2026 - Elliott Equipment Company has appointed Jeff Postlethwaite as director of engineering, Ryan Widner as plant manager, and Emily Hagge as manufacturing engineering manager at its Omaha, Nebraska, operations.
Announced October 28, 2026, the appointments expand the company's leadership team across engineering and manufacturing. Postlethwaite and Widner will report to Andrew Schumacher, vice president of Nebraska operations, while Hagge will report to Widner.
Elliott manufactures truck-mounted aerial work platforms, digger derricks, and cranes.
As director of engineering, Postlethwaite will oversee the engineering team, including new product development, product improvements, and engineering standards across Elliott's product portfolio.
He brings nearly two decades of engineering and product leadership experience in the aerial lift and specialty equipment industries. Most recently, he served as head of mechanical engineering and lead systems engineer at PALFINGER, where he directed development of a new product platform and two major platform updates. His previous roles included product management and engineering leadership focused on aerial lift design, hydraulic systems, and new product development.
Postlethwaite also serves as a voting member of the ANSI A92 Main Committee and A92.2 Subcommittee, which help establish industry safety and compliance standards.
“Jeff’s deep engineering background and his work on industry safety standards make him a tremendous asset to Elliott,” said Schumacher. “He understands how our equipment is used in the field, and he will help us keep raising the bar on product performance and innovation.”
Widner will oversee day-to-day production at Elliott's Omaha facility, focusing on safety, quality, throughput, and on-time delivery.
He has more than 25 years of leadership experience in truck equipment, vehicle upfitting, and manufacturing. Before joining Elliott, he served as regional general manager for Reading Truck Equipment and chief executive officer of Swenson Products. He also spent more than a decade in operations and general management at Monroe Truck Equipment.
Widner began his career on the shop floor and has focused on lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
“Ryan has built and led successful operations at every level, from the shop floor to full P&L responsibility,” said Schumacher. “His customer-first, safety-always approach is exactly what we want on our production floor.”
As manufacturing engineering manager, Hagge will lead Elliott's manufacturing engineering team, overseeing process improvements, facility planning, and capital projects intended to support production efficiency, quality, and safety.
Hagge most recently served as manufacturing engineer supervisor for Terex Utilities, where she led manufacturing engineering teams across three sites. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
“Emily brings a great combination of technical skill, safety focus and team leadership,” said Schumacher. “Her experience improving processes and building strong teams will help us work smarter and build better equipment for our customers.”
The appointments are part of Elliott's efforts to strengthen its engineering and manufacturing leadership as the company continues its operations in Omaha.
