by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
As the official transportation sponsor for The Walt Disney Company’s Celebrate Mickey: 75 InspEARations national tour, Jacksonville-based The Suddath Companies has been charged with transporting 75 Mickey Mouse statues to several stops across the country.
The Suddath Companies is joined by the Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot and Kodak as an exclusive corporate sponsor for the event, a year-long celebration of Mickey Mouse’s 75th birthday.
“I think it’s safe to say we’ve all grown up with Mickey Mouse,” said Brad Estrin, Suddath vice president of sales and marketing. “For The Suddath Companies to be a part of something so widely known and celebrated is very exciting for us. Obviously, we were more than happy to cooperate in any way we could.”
To move the 6-foot, 700-pound statues — each designed by artists ranging from Tom Hanks, to Jamie Lee Curtis, to Suddath’s own Malcolm Stone, director of corporate marketing — Suddath dedicated three specially designed 53-foot trailers for the tour. Following a stint at Disney World, the statues — they’ll be publicly unveiled today in Orlando by Disney chair and CEO Michael Eisner — will travel to 12 cities across the country, including Atlanta, Chicago and Boston.
When the tour wraps next fall, the special edition moving vans will likely be reincorporated into the Suddath fleet.
“Escorting Mickey across America is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Barry S. Vaughn, president and CEO of the Suddath Companies. “When Walt Disney first created Mickey Mouse, he brought to life a beloved character who has given joy and happiness to people of all ages around the world for 75 remarkable years. Suddath is pleased to help Mickey embark on his exciting journey into the future.”