RUSTON, La. — A longtime north Louisiana business owner has sold his forklift sales company to a buyer in Arkansas.

Arkla Taylor Inc. is a dealer for Taylor Machine Works Inc. The buyer, Hugg & Hall Equipment of Little Rock, is a dealer for 20 companies, including Toyota forklifts and Volvo construction equipment.

George Parkman of Ruston tells the Ruston Daily Leader that Hugg & Hall agreed to keep all 65 Arkla Taylor employees, and he will remain operations manager at Arkla Taylor for two or three years. The sale was final in May.

In addition to its Ruston headquarters, Arkla Taylor has locations in Broussard and Houma, Blytheville and El Dorado, Ark., Longview and Lufkin in Texas and Tulsa, Okla.

Hugg & Hall has eight locations and 260 employees around Arkansas.