Crane Rental Giant Bigge Crane Acquires Majority Stake in Empire Crane Co.

Bigge Crane and Rigging Co., one of the nation's largest crane sales and rental companies, announced the acquisition of the majority stake in Empire Crane Co. The alliance between Empire and Bigge's “Perfect Fleet” of more than 1,800 cranes and 21 maintenance facilities is now more readily available to customers on the East Coast. This new partnership is an essential milestone for both companies, which will benefit crane buyers worldwide with a true coast-to-coast offering.

Empire Crane has a long-standing reputation in the crane business, known for its sales support and crane service. Its partnership with Bigge and the resulting expansion of Empire into the Gulf, Mountain, and West Coast regions will help bring more robust sales support to its customers across the United States and globally. Crane buyers will now access dealer pricing and priority ordering for leading crane manufacturers, including Tadano, Kobelco, Liebherr, Manitowoc, Potain, Peiner, Terex, Comedil, Broderson, Merlo, Magni, Xtreme, Manitex, and Jekko. This strategic relationship will give customers access to more inventory and reduce freight costs associated with shipping equipment nationwide.   

“I’ve known Paul and Luke for over 20 years. They’re the two most trusted principals in the crane and equipment sales business," said Weston Settlemier, CEO of Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. "Furthermore, the Lonergans are the two best partners Bigge has ever had. I personally have been promoting the benefits of principled partnerships for over 12 years and the Bigge/Empire collaboration will be the standard by which all future partnerships are judged."

Empire's President Paul Lonergan echoed Settlemier’s sentiments saying, "We are thrilled to join forces with Bigge – the pillar of excellence in the crane business for over a century, and, like us, to be in business with a family-owned company with common business values. This strategic alliance provides our customers access to Bigge's extensive sales inventory and over a century’s experience building and maintaining the ‘Perfect Fleet’ of cranes."

Bigge and Empire Crane were co-exhibitors at the ConExpo trade show in Las Vegas last month.

Bigge offers crane rentals, cranes for sale, crane parts, and specialized heavy lift equipment to customers across North America. With headquarters in California and Texas, Bigge operates a strategic network of more than 20 service locations nationwide, allowing it to provide logistical and field support throughout the United States. Bigge actively buys and sells new and quality used cranes and maintains a rental fleet of more than 1,800 assets.

Empire Crane Co. is a full-service crane sales and repair company headquartered in upstate New York. With more than 25 years of experience, the company has grown to become one of the most respected dealers in the industry on the East Coast. Empire has three full-service maintenance facilities across New England, more than 200 assets in its fleet.