Lifting Gear Hire Corp. last week announced plans to expand further in the Eastern United Sates in an effort to better serve its growing customer base. First planned, for this month, is added sales representation in the Southeast, based in Tampa, Fla. Second on the agenda in 2009 is to open the company’s 11^th warehouse — a distribution center in Philadelphia.

While Lifting Gear Hire has an existing warehouse in Pittsburgh, the new facility will reduce delivery time and transportation costs for customers in Northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, New York and other surrounding states. The Philadelphia warehouse will allow same-day or overnight delivery to locations in the new area.

“The demand for equipment in LGH’s product line, as well as reduced delivery time and costs have resulted in the need for an additional facility to support an already growing area and to stock a full range of LGH products and capacities,” said Tony Fiscelli, general manager of Lifting Gear Hire’s U.S. headquarters in Bridgeview, Ill. “The expansion out east will allow us to better serve our clients because we will simply have the space to feature our entire product range and to accommodate our customers' equipment service needs.”

Lifting Gear Hire has initiated plans to expand in Minneapolis and Atlanta as well. More information on this expansion will be available later this year.

Founded in 1970, Lifting Gear Hire is devoted exclusively to the rental, sale and service of lifting, winching and material handling equipment. The company is No. 73 on the RER 100.