Midwest Motive

Based in Roseville, Minnesota, Midwest Motive sells and services premium industrial batteries and chargers, specializing in forklift applications that are essential to operations in warehousing, food distribution, and pharmaceutical environments. These large, highly specialized batteries power equipment and keep operations moving, which is why Midwest Motive has built its reputation on being more than a supplier—they’re a proactive partner known for expert maintenance, fast response times, and dependable service across the Upper Midwest.

The business traces its roots back to 1982, when it was founded as Minnesota Industrial Battery by Gene Slattum. In 2016, his son-in-law, Kris Palestrini, acquired the company and later rebranded it as Midwest Motive. While the company had a strong foundation, Kris saw an opportunity to modernize and position it for long-term growth.

Kris’s path to ownership wasn’t traditional. Originally from the East Coast, he built a career in advertising before stepping into an industry where he had no prior experience. “It was scary, I had zero experience in Material Handling. Before purchasing Minnesota Industrial Battery I tried to become as familiar as possible with the business as well as the core employees. Over time, the team gave me great confidence to purchase and invest in the company,“ says Kris.

Today, Midwest Motive is known for its hands-on approach and strong team culture. “This is a very special small business where the team members care about the success of the company as much as I do. We’re all very competitive and work extremely hard to stand out from the competition,“ says Kris.

As Midwest Motive grew, so did the need for a banking partner that could keep up. Kris had worked with Ryan Lynch previously, so when Ryan joined North American Banking Company, reconnecting was an easy decision. “I’ve known Ryan for many years, shortly after he made the move to North American Banking Company, he gave me a call asking to meet. I was already familiar with how he operates, so I was happy to dedicate the time. During our initial meeting I quickly realized, changing to North American Banking Company would be a much better fit for our company,” says Kris.

That decision quickly paid off. For Kris, responsiveness and clear communication are critical. “What I like best about working with Ryan is that he’s very responsive. At other institutions, you’ll send an email or leave a voice mail and you don’t hear back from them,“ says Kris.

With that support in place, he’s focused on growth. 

“I have big plans to continue to grow Midwest Motive, knowing I have a responsive lender gives me the confidence and the strategy to achieve them.”