First Lift & Move USA a 'huge success'

The first Lift & Move USA careers event, held this week in Chicago, Illinois, has been deemed an overwhelming success by attendees and organisers. More than 140 delegates attended, including around 100 student and veterans.

The two day event – held in Chicago on 16 and 17 June – showed students and veterans the enormous career opportunities in the cranes, rigging and specialized transportation industry.

Joel Dandrea, executive vice president of SC&RA, said; “We’re overwhelmed by the success and the support for this launch event. We’re thrilled with the participation, with the quality of presentations and the questions and interactions. It was a huge success.”

The organisers were the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA), KHL Group, and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

Student and veteran attendees - the majority from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin - included high school students and an enthusiastic group of young apprentices from the Local 150 chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Presentations included spectacular project reports from Berard Transport and Barnhart, plus testimonies from individuals about their own career paths, including from Danny Gomez of Lifting Gear Hire, Jennifer Gabel of JK Crane, Yannick Sel of ALE, Bob Kaleta of Imperial Crane Services, and Chad Rados and Brian Meek of the ALL Family of companies.

A perspective on careers in the manufacturing sector was given by Jamie Harthoorn of Terex Cranes and Blake Nommensen of Kobelco Cranes North America.

Trevor Pease, president of KHL Group Americas said the organisers were proud to have held the first event; “I speak for SC&RA, NCCCO and KHL in saying that we hope that this will be the first of many Lift & Moves held around the country, helping to promote careers in this great industry.”

A feature of the event was the active participation of the students, with a winning prize of US$500 and two $250 runners up prizes for the best 30 second video about the event and the industry. The winner was David Kingly of Chicago, Illinois, and the two other winners were Mike Cole of Modena, Illinois and John Jenkins from Round Lake, Illinois.

Associated Training Services (ATS) offered two $1000 vouchers for training on cranes and other equipment, one of which was won by Margarita Golliay, a student.

Lift & Move USA was sponsored by H&E Equipment Services, Hendrickson, Imperial Crane Services and Lifting Gear Hire. The day one registration and coffee break sponsor was the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers and IMPACT (the Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust).

The sponsor of the breakfast on the second day was Buchanan Hauling & Rigging, and sponsor of the second day’s coffee break and lunch-box was the Crane Inspection & Certification Bureau (CICB).

Fleet Cost & Care sponsored the Event App; the Chicagoland Crane Association sponsored the bus transportation to the evening BBQ at Imperial Crane Services, and ATS, Pinnacle and Kiewit provided and sponsored the various simulators. The lanyard sponsor was ALPS Wire Rope Corporation.