CraneWorks, Inc.
2728 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd. Birmingham, AL 35203

CraneWorks, headquartered in downtown Birmingham, is one of the largest crane rental companies in Alabama. CraneWorks also has yards in the Mobile, AL and Nashville, TN areas. The company is owed by brothers Dave and Steve Upton. According to a 2008 Wage and Hour Investigation file (see the For Workers page), Dave owns 60% of the company and Steve owns 40%.

Most recent estimates of the company’s workforce come in just under 100 employees, 44 of whom are crane operators according to the Wage and Hour file mentioned above. Dun and Bradstreet estimates CraneWorks’ annual sales as approximately $25,000,000.

Through its RentalWorks and LoaderWorks business lines, CraneWorks also offers bare rentals of construction equipment and tools.

History

Dave Upton founded an equipment rental company, Reliable Rentals, with a $250,000 loan from the Small Business Administration in 1987. His brother Steve, a certified public accountant, joined the company a few years later. After a decade of growth, the brothers sold Reliable Rentals to NationsRent.

But the Upton brothers retained the crane rental side of the business, called CraneWorks, which has also grown quickly. Its growth was highlighted by President George W. Bush in November 2003, when he visited CraneWorks to promote tax cuts to small businesses. President Bush, apparently unaware of the low-interest, taxpayer-backed government loan that helped start the company, praised the brothers for “creating something out of nothing.”

CraneWorks has continued to grow and expand, opening branches near Mobile and Nashville in 2007.

Marketing and Community

CraneWorks’ logo is a bulldog and the company calls itself “The Big Dog.” The company’s slogan is “Lift It, Buy It, Rent It, The Big Dog’s Got It!”

The company is a major sponsor on Birmingham sports radio station WJOX. CraneWorks sponsors the annual “Big Dog Poker Run” motorcycle rally and ride in May, and their website has numerous pictures of employees and guests at parties and social events.

CraneWorks owns both a plane and a helicopter, and has been credited in the Birmingham media for performing charitable works with its aircraft and cranes, such as providing free construction services for local churches and charities (although the company has also been involved in lawsuits with a church and the charity sponsored by Auburn football legend Joe Cribbs; see CraneWorks Litigation for details).

Other Business Interests

Directly, or through partnerships, the Uptons own millions of dollars of real estate on hundreds of acres in and around Birmingham. Most but not all of these properties are part of the current or former CraneWorks headquarters. They also own land in Shelby and Talladega counties east of Birmingham.

The Birmingham facility is owned by CraneWorks Real Estate LLC, and the Nashville location is owned by Tower Lot 1 LLC. One or both brothers control the following partnerships:

Click on the links above to view corporate filings for each. For more on the Upton brothers real estate interests, see the CraneWorks Property page.