Best Foot Forward: Recognizing Women Leadership and Company Success

Cindy Lapidakis, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Royal Basket Trucks

Royal Basket Trucks® is proud to recognize Cindy Lapidakis, vice president of sales and marketing, who was recognized as one of the “Notable Women in Manufacturing” for the southeastern region of Wisconsin. The women on the inaugural list, published by BizTimes, were nominated by their peers at work and in the community and represent a diversity of talent. After starting her career in New York working in the printing industry, Cindy joined the Royal® team in 2007 as the company looked to expand into new markets and grow its product line. Over the years, Cindy has played a crucial role in the growth of Royal Basket Trucks.

“I am very humbled and honored to be recognized as one of the notable women in manufacturing. It’s a surprise that someone in my position can be recognized in the manufacturing industry without being directly responsible for operations, processes, efficiencies, or supply chains. These are the things we always think of when talking about manufacturing success,” said Cindy Lapidakis.

Along with her knowledge and experience, Cindy has tremendous pride and passion for working in the industry. Since she joined the Royal team 16 years ago, she has assisted in operational support, while focusing her efforts on growing a network of nationwide distributors that have the ability to service a variety of industries with quality products. This is one of many strategic tactics Cindy implemented since joining the company, and it has allowed Royal to grow its brand image and awareness in a variety of key target markets.

“Our ability to expand the product offering with new manufacturing capabilities provides us the strength needed to push into new markets. These additional processes strategically expand our solutions within current industries and markets, such as hospitality, health care, commercial laundry, textile rental, and manufacturing,” said Tom Carney, President.

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Since the inception of the company in 1982, Royal has grown and expanded its operations. In the spring of 2020, they added an 80,000-square-foot building addition that would allow them to bring all rotational molding operations in-house. This has allowed Royal to continue manufacturing high-quality products while supporting large-volume orders with shortened lead times. The current Royal product offering consists of more than 80 different products that can be integrated into collecting, sorting, and transporting operations to cleanup process efficiencies and touchpoints. Continual product development and enhancements have allowed Royal to become a recognized brand of material handling solutions for many markets and industries.

Since 1982, Royal Basket Trucks has grown and evolved over the years. Their first products were vinyl and canvas basket trucks used in mail rooms and laundries. Today, Royal is a unique manufacturing company with rotational molding, industrial sewing, metal fabrication, woods, PVC, and wire capabilities. The innovative product line offers a variety of material handling solutions designed to support many industries.

“As we continue this trajectory, one of the key factors to our success has been the expansion of the senior management team. This has allowed us to become stronger and more supportive as we incorporate a variety of experiences and perspectives every time, we meet to discuss company goals and strategies that will prepare us for the future,” said Cindy Lapidakis.

Cindy has had extraordinary success since she started in the industry. Her strengths have allowed Royal to become a respected brand in the wide world of material handling. Cindy has a love for giving back to her community and personally volunteers at SMILES (Special Methods in Learning Equine Skills) as a lead for guiding students with special needs on horses. She also works on their largest annual fundraising event to help raise support and awareness for the organization.

Sponsored by Royal Basket Trucks®.

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