Diamond Phoenix Mourns the Passing of a Friend

Diamond Phoenix is sad to report the passing of an old friend and colleague, Kirk Will. Kirk passed away after a short courageous battle of cancer in November at the age of 53. He is survived by his wife Melanie, son James, and daughter Rachel. He was a good man and a great father. A big man with a big heart and a big laugh, he was loved by us all.

Kirk was an outstanding salesman in the material handling industry for 30 years. He started working for Raymond selling lift trucks then moved to White Storage and Retrieval. He spent the last 17 years working for Diamond Phoenix. Kirk sold hundreds of systems over the years. He added value to every project. Whether it involved system design, operation, or software, customers and co workers were always grateful he was involved. He truly was the one of the best in the business.

Kirk was responsible for selling many of the largest and most innovative systems throughout his career. Among these were:

• The first software driven carousel systems in the industry
• The first high speed picking systems for distribution operations
• The first high speed carousel sorting systems in distribution
• The first pass through extractors in full case handling systems for distribution
• The first dynamic zone RF driven carousel picking systems
• The largest carousel system ever built

Through his projects he triggered multiple product and software developments throughout his career. Though his time was cut short, he leaves a long list of accomplishments that not only changed the industry but gave inspiration to us all.

He was respected for his knowledge and admired for his sales abilities. He was loved for his warm friendship and caring attitude towards others. The example of how we live and work is one of the few things we get to leave behind for others to remember. Kirk Will set the bar the highest. He was a great salesman and a true friend.