Shining Bright In Carolina

Superior Cranes, Inc.
Written by Pauline Müller

When Superior Cranes, Inc. recently arrived at a site on the East Coast, its client’s employees started cheering with sheer joy – a sign that this company is running cranes right.

Best known for its round-the-clock service for crane rental/operation, heavy hauling, mechanical rigging, and maintenance, Superior Cranes, Inc. means business. Naturally, there would be no great service without great people, and here too, the company delivers. Due to its generations of committed staff, the company recently saw the dawn of its thirtieth year in the trade, and it could not be more excited. This knowledge and experience has transformed it into what it is today.

“We believe in being available to our customers at all times. Making ourselves available to our customers during times of their greatest need has allowed us to continue to grow,” says Joe Everett, President.

From its headquarters in Rockingham, North Carolina, Superior Cranes, Inc. presence runs through the Southeastern United States, crossing both North and South Carolina. Its staff supports clients’ projects from seven facilities that run from New Bern in the north to Greenville/Spartanburg in the south.

Apart from its people, much of its success is ascribed to its investment in safety and creative problem solving, particularly when customers find themselves in tough situations. It also invests in technology and the latest equipment and has begun to implement a mostly paper-free work environment.

While the company is registered with the Department of Transportation (DOT), its operators and lift directors are certified with the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

Its impressive fleet is another distinctive trait that sets the company apart from its competitors. It prides itself on investing in the latest and greatest and most flexible equipment. And the most recent addition to its already powerful collection proves this. The 1,375-ton capacity of its new DEMAG CC 6800-1 crawler crane makes it one of the largest in the region. As a result, it is popular for use in all types of construction but particularly for power plants and wind-farm maintenance. The purchase made headlines at the end of September as a colossal improvement on its existing 715-ton capacity DEMAG CC 3800-1. Deutsche Maschinenbau-Aktiengesellschaft (DEMAG), originally of German origin and a division of the Tadano Group, has gained favor in North America for its quality, durability and precision engineering.

The new crane sports a master boom length of 492 feet with a maximum tip height of 669 feet, making it the ideal size for servicing enormous wind turbines. Apart from its size and lifting capabilities, the DEMAG CC 6800-1 can also change direction while bearing enormous weight. Superior Cranes, Inc. president has been quoted as saying that the crane’s design, combined with the service and support provided by Demag for its other crawler and all-terrain cranes, made purchasing the CC 6800-1 an easy decision. The company’s fleet also contains other vehicle brands like Link-Belt Cranes, Terex, and Grove.

While crane rentals are one of its most popular services, Superior Cranes, Inc. also offers engineered critical lift planning, which, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), can typically entail lifting over seventy percent and under ninety percent of a crane’s own weight. It can also include multiple cranes participating in the same lift, elevating staff, or operating cranes in dangerous circumstances or difficult spaces.

The company also offers the hydraulic gantry systems used to lift, move, and place heavy loads in smaller spaces. In addition, it offers hi-rail cranes, typically mounted on specialized trucks for railway use; plus recovery and salvage operations; erection and construction support; and welding, fabrication, and millwright services.

Despite this sizeable list of services, its people are what is most in demand, and this is something of which the company’s executive management is particularly proud. Most of the time “our people are requested to do the work. It really does not get much better than [being cheered onto a new job site.],” says Everett. The company is not merely another contractor. Instead, Superior Cranes, Inc. becomes a powerful extension of its partners, working towards the same goals and trusted results.

About 250 people keep this company rolling, and its customers are happier for it. Its executive managers describe the employees as down-to-earth, hardworking people who understand that every day presents its own challenges. Because each day is different, and this type of work does not keep standard office hours, its people are used to sticking it out together to deliver the best, most efficient service.

“Without our people, we are nothing,” says Everett. Their dedication and expertise enables the company to offer custom solutions to problems that other companies routinely turn away. While the privacy of its clients is paramount, Superior Cranes, Inc. has completed countless daunting and not-so-daunting projects, the results of which have all stood it in very good stead.

The company started when Joe Everett, against all odds, decided to follow his dreams. Joe had no qualms running Superior Cranes, Inc. solo when he opened the business in 1989. With an uncanny talent for solving the impossible, he quickly started forging a name for himself in the industry. Today, he imparts the skills and knowledge he gleaned from his experience to the company’s new leaders. The main aim is to develop creativity, problem-solving skills, and proactive leadership to drive positive change for its customers and within its communities.

When it comes to giving back to the people of North and South Carolina, youth and education are two of Superior Cranes’ priorities. The company makes a meaningful contribution to career and technical education (CTE) in the region, as it sees this as a wonderful way to introduce younger learners and students to the industry. It hosted a Lift & Move Event that partners with Skills USA and SC&RA at its headquarters in late 2018. This proved tremendously effective with more than four hundred students and enthusiasts supporting the event.

Similarly, the company prioritizes attending career fairs, addressing groups, and collaborating with CTE administrators and teachers to help encourage bright young minds to join the skilled trades industry. With an ageing workforce and technological advancements increasing, welcoming younger people into the industry is vital to the company’s sustainability.

Alongside its fresh intake of next-generation workers, Superior Cranes, Inc. is working smarter, more safely, and faster than ever. Recently, this has become the force behind much of its growth, which is set to continue for years to come thanks to careful planning and the thorough preparation of the future generation of leaders. As an industry partner with a growing list of return clientele, Superior Cranes, Inc. can stand firm in the knowledge that its many all-weather industry friendships will secure a very bright road ahead.

AUTHOR

CURRENT EDITION

Hands-On Learning for Future Success

Read Our Current Issue

PAST EDITIONS

Cladding and Exteriors

February 2024

A Concrete Foundation

December 2023

Elegant and Eco-Friendly

November 2023

From Beautiful Bridges to Breathtaking Buildings

October 2023

More Past Editions

Featured Articles