Link-Belt’s Bill Stramer to retire in June 2025

Following 50 years of service to Link-Belt Cranes, Bill Stramer, senior vice president of marketing, sales and customer support, is retiring at the end of June 2025. Stramer has had a long and storied career with Link-Belt, beginning in 1975.

He started out as a design engineering draftsman, followed by several years as a member of the technical services group for FMC Link-Belt in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. From 1981 to 1989, Stramer was a district sales manager for the Rocky Mountain region, working directly with Link-Belt’s distributor network and overseeing Link-Belt Construction Equipment sales from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to El Paso, Texas, USA.

In 1989, Stramer moved to Lexington, Kentucky, USA to take on the role of product manager for telescopic cranes. He played a key role in the development of Link-Belt’s successful hydraulic truck and rough terrain crane lines of that era, according to the company. In 1994, he was promoted to director of crane marketing and sales.

At about this same time, he began his long association with two key industry lifting associations, the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) and the Canadian Crane Rental Association (CCRA). He held leadership positions for both associations.

In 2004, Stramer was named vice president of marketing, sales and customer support, a role he held until he was promoted to his current role in 2017.

“I would like to thank Bill for five decades of dedicated service to Link-Belt Cranes,” said Melvin Porter, president and CEO of Link-Belt Cranes. “In his role as senior vice president of marketing, sales and customer support, and as a member of the LBC Board, he has helped to shape and grow the company. He is a well-known and respected leader within the industry. I want to wish Bill and his family the very best as he begins a new chapter in his life.”