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 Company. The alliance between Empire and Bigge's Perfect Fleet of over 1,800 cranes and 21 maintenance facilities is now even 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 extraordinary 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 even more robust sales support to its customers across the US 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, "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."