I think I’ve finally recovered from CONEXPO… but I digress.
We have a couple of associations that are marking anniversaries: the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) celebrating 75 years and the Crane Rental Association of Canada (CRAC) a quarter century.
Both are looking back and looking forward, reflecting on the good work they have done and what still needs to be done to ensure that the crane and hoist industry remains competitive, safe and above all efficient.
Crane & Hoist Canada magazine will be 15 years young next year, and we’d love to share your stories once again from over the years.
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One of the major initiatives coming from the CRAC is the first-of-its-kind, nation-wide study of the industry itself.
Editor of Crane & Hoist Canada magazine, Don Horne.
Ambitions for the study are high indeed, aiming to gather insights for use by crane rental companies, as well as to collect meaningful and timely data that may be used to inform advocacy efforts on behalf of the sector.
Ideally, the study will be used to develop a profile of the crane rental industry that will help the association better understand the sector’s employment structure and fleet composition.
The ambitions are simple for CRAC: to better serve and better represent the crane industry.
“We need to demonstrate our presence and our impact. This survey is the first step taken in achieving this goal,” says Ryan Long, Chair of the Membership Committee.
Adding to this input is CRAC’s annual conference in Vancouver, B.C. in May, where crane rental companies, owners, manufacturers, and suppliers gather to hear about the latest trends and technologies.
All part of “looking forward” that I mentioned earlier.
Trevor Eckert, the Chairman of the Board of CRAC, took the time to explain to me how the association is reflecting on its 25 years and what it is planning to do in the next quarter century.
“Today we are 134 member companies strong, the highest it has been in our history. We have a voice, and it grows stronger every day,” Eckert told Crane & Hoist magazine.
(look in the May/June issue of the magazine for our interview with him)
In the article, he lays out the good work being done by the Diversity & Inclusion and the Technical committees that ensure fairness, working to improve regulations to provide a more safe and secure jobsite.
Eckert tells one great story from those who have worked in the crane industry for years, of a young Art Blumers, who shared with him a story from his youth many years ago, remembering the first time he tried to navigate a crane up a series of mats several feet high, earning a few grey hairs in the process.
SC&RA’s annual conference in April turned into a celebration, as members gathered to mark 75 years as an association.
Here are a few words from members past and present:
“It’s a story of growth to me,” says Jim Vitez, President of Kreitz Motor Express, KMX International. “More people joining over the years, more talent coming in.”
“To me, 75 years starts with relationships – across all levels,” says Randy Server, Executive Vice President of PSC Crane & Rigging. “Without them, nothing else gets done… The doers, the volunteers that make SC&RA what it is today – the generational businesses that feed into that legacy.”
“It comes down to relevance,” says Dan Bumby, retired, an SC&RA Golden Achievement winner. “So, when the association advocates for all of us as an organization, we gain credibility, and ultimately, relevance – which feeds the longevity.”
There will be one more chance to gather again to reminisce and look forward to another 75 years at the Crane & Rigging Workshop in Oklahoma City, Okla. Sept. 26-28.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Crane & Hoist Canada turning 15
Speaking of anniversaries, Crane & Hoist Canada magazine will be 15 years young next year, and we’d love to share your stories once again from over the years.
If you have a copy of the magazine, an article we’ve done on you or a favourite story you would like to see again, drop me a line at dhorne@annexbusinessmedia.com.
We want to make 2024 a special year for us, and hope that you can help us out to make it so.
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