SC&RA Annual Conference wraps up in Phoenix

The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association Annual Conference, April 22-25 at the Arizona Biltmore, ended at the Closing Night Dinner with PSC Crane & Rigging’s Jim Sever accepting the role of president of the Association.

Jim Sever accepts the presidency of the SC&RA.

In a recent interview, Sever said that his father taught he and his brother that success relied on four things: trust, honesty, dignity and respect. “If we couldn’t live by those values, we had no place in the business,” he said. “Inside of that, we learned to develop a strategic plan, and surround ourselves with quality people – at all levels of the business. People absolutely make all the difference.”

Sever cited his mentors in the SC&RA, the late George Young and James Lomma.

Prior to Sever’s acceptance speech, SC&RA Job of the Year head judges of the Rigging and Specialized Transportation categories announced winners of the prestigious contest.

Winners in the Rigging category are:

SC&RA Rigging Job of the Year winners include Barnhart Crane & Rigging, Mountain Crane Service and Bragg Companies.

Under $300,000: Barnhart Crane & Rigging

$300,000 to $1 million: Mountain Crane Service

$1 million to $3 million: Bragg Companies

Over $3 million: Barnhart Crane & Rigging

Winners in the Hauling category are:

Less than 160,000 pounds: : QSL Transport (formerly Transport Watson)

160,000 to 500,000 pounds: Barnhart

Hauling over 500,000 pounds: Edwards Moving & Rigging

Moving: Fagioli

Head Judges Randy Sever and Jim Montgomery agreed that the competition was intense among the nine Rigging entries and 18 Transportation and Moving entries.

SC&RA’s Transportation and Moving Job of the Year winers included Fagioli, Transport Watson, Edwards Moving and Rigging and Barnhart Crane & Rigging.

Also at the Annual Conference, which had a record-breaking attendance of 869, the Association’s new leadership was announced. The leadership slate for 2025-2026 is led by new president Sever, PSC Crane & Rigging, Piqua, Ohio.

Officers for the 2025-2026 term include:

Vice President: Harry Fry, Harry Fry & Associates, West Newbury, Mass.

Treasurer: Michael Vlaming, Vlaming & Associates, Vallejo, Calif.

Assistant Treasurer: Keith Settle, OXBO Mega Transport Solutions, Houston, Texas

Chairman: J Rozum, MSA Delivery Service, Canton, Mich.

Joining the SC&RA Board of Directors for three-year terms will be:

John Anderson, NessCampbell Crane + Rigging, Hillsboro, Ore.

Kelan Bragg, Bragg Crane Service, Long Beach, Calif.

Jim Sever, PSC Crane & Rigging, Piqua, Ohio

Jennifer Schuster, Edwards Moving & Rigging, Shelbyville, Ky.

Ragan Watson, Barnhart, Memphis, Tenn.

David Yarbrough, Yarbrough Transfer Service, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Keith Settle, OXBO Mega Transport Solutions, Houston, Texas

Also joining the Board are three newly elected Group Chairs:

Allied Industries Group: Troy Geisler, Talbert Manufacturing, Rensselaer, Ind.

Crane & Rigging Group: Peter Juhren, Morrow Equipment, Salem, Ore.

Transportation Group: Joanna Jungles, Anderson Trucking Service, St. Cloud, Minn.

The 2025 SC&RA Board of Directors.

The newly elected officers will serve one-year terms that expire at the conclusion of the Association’s 2026 Annual Conference, held from April 20-24 at the Omni Amelia Island, Amelia Island, Fla.

JK Crane President Jenna Gabel made a presentation about the work of the SC&R Foundation, which supports workforce development, educational assistance and industry specific research to foster growth and opportunities in the crane, rigging and specialized transportation sectors. Kate Landry Varisco has been elected president of the SC&R Foundation for 2025-26, with Tyler Henley serving as vice president, Shelly Gayring as treasurer. Committee chairs include Aro Umfress, Ken Meuler, Maranda Camden, Paula Bell, Cameron Boots, Mike Knott, Kelan Bragg and Brittany Bachman.

The Foundation hosted its annual fundraising gala at the Annual Conference, which featured a Las Vegas theme and included show girls, several Elvis impersonators and SC&RA’s own Eddy Kitchen, Kerry Koberg and Alvaro Rodriguez performing Elvis-inspired music.

The engaging four-day event included several networking events, engaging educational sessions and motivational and inspiring presentations at the Link-Belt and Trail King breakfasts as well as the annual Products Fair that featured 88 companies.

Winners of the SC&RA’s safety awards were also announced. This year, 17 SC&RA member companies received a Crane & Rigging Zero Accidents Award for having an Incident Rate (TRIR) less than or equal to 1.25, a Workers’ Compensation Modification Rate less than or equal to 1.0, an Incident Expenses Frequency Rate less than or equal to 1.0, zero fatalities during the current program year and no recordable accidents. They are:

Active Crane Rentals – Wilmington, Del.

Allegiance Crane & Equipment – Houston, Texas

Bay Crane Midwest – Columbus, Ohio

CCI Industrial – Brighton, Mich.

Dobson Field Services, Inc. – Bay City, Mich.

Fagioli Inc. – Houston, Texas

Hill Crane Service, Inc. – Long Beach, Calif.

JJ Curran Crane Company – Detroit, Mich.

JPW Erectors, Inc. – Syracuse, N.Y.

McNally-Nimergood Co. – Saginaw, Mich.

Nexgen Crane & Rigging – Hamilton, Miss.

The SC&RA Products Fair featured some 88 companies.

Olori Crane Service, Inc.– Nanuet, N.Y.

Precision Crane Service – Windsor, Calif.

Roll Group – Dayton, Texas

Southeastern Rigging – Winter Springs, Fla.

Stevenson Crane Service, Inc. – Bolingbrook, Ill.

Waggoner Equipment Rental LLC – Wood River, Ill.

Twenty-eight SC&RA member companies received Crane & Rigging Safety Awards due to their superior safety records, achieving an Incident Rate (TRIR) less than or equal to 1.25, a Workers’ Compensation Modification Rate less than or equal to 1.0, and an Incident Expenses Frequency Rate less than or equal to 1.0, zero fatalities during the current program year. They are:

Active Crane Rentals – Wilmington, Del.

Allegiance Crane & Equipment – Houston, Texas

Barnhart – Memphis, Tenn.

Bay Crane Midwest – Columbus, Ohio

Bay Crane Service – Long Island City, N.Y.

Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. – San Leandro, Calif.

Buckner HeavyLift Cranes – Graham, N.C.

CCI Industrial – Brighton, Mich.

The SC&RA Products Fair on Thursday morning was well attended as attendees engaged with various OEMs and service providers.

Deep South Crane and Rigging, LLC – Baton Rouge, La.

Dobson Field Services, Inc. – Bay City, Mich.

Fagioli Inc. – Houston, Texas

Hill Crane Service, Inc. – Long Beach, Calif.

JJ Curran Crane Company – Detroit, Mich.

JPW Erectors, Inc. – Syracuse, N.Y.

Maxim Crane Works, L.P. – Wilder, Ky.

McNally-Nimergood Co. – Saginaw, Mich.

MEI Rigging & Crating – Albany, Ore.

Mr. Crane, Inc. – Orange, Calif.

Nexgen Crane & Rigging – Hamilton, Miss.

Olori Crane Service, Inc.– Nanuet, N.Y.

Precision Crane Service – Windsor, Calif.

ProLift Rigging, LLC – Memphis, Tenn.

PSC Crane & Rigging – Piqua, Ohio

Roll Group – Dayton, Texas

Southeastern Rigging – Winter Springs, Fla.

Stevenson Crane Service, Inc. – Bolingbrook, Ill.

W.O. Grubb Crane Rental, Inc. – North Chesterfield, Va.

Waggoner Equipment Rental LLC – Wood River, Ill.

Three SC&RA member companies earned a Crane & Rigging Safety Improvement Award for having an Incident Rate (TRIR) less than or equal to 1.25, a Workers’ Compensation Modification Rate less than or equal to 1.0, an Incident Expenses Frequency Rate less than or equal to 1.0, zero fatalities during the current program year and reducing their incident rate and/or worker’s compensation modification rate compared to the previous year’s contest entry. They are:

Barnhart – Memphis, Tenn.

ProLift Rigging, LLC – Memphis, Tenn.

Stevenson Crane Service, Inc. – Bolingbrook, Ill.

Viva Las Vegas was the them of the SC&R Foundation gala.

Additionally, 65 individuals, representing 14 member companies, received Crane Operator Safety Awards. This award is presented to certified crane operators who exhibit exemplary work achievements by accumulating a minimum of 10,000 work hours accrued as a crane operator while working for their current company, and recording zero incidents or accidents during that time. They are:

Allegiance Crane & Equipment – Houston, Texas: James Johnson, James Raggio

Barnhart – Memphis, Tenn.: Shane Floyd, Jasper Gardner, Pete Heintz, Jesse Johnson, Joseph Richters, Jeff Taylor

BOSS Crane & Rigging – Longview, Texas: Rob Demoss

Buckner HeavyLift Cranes – Graham, N.C.: Richard Fulcher, Terry Mason, Michael Plants

Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental, Inc. – Milwaukee, Wis.: Andrew Riley, Chris Schilling

Deep South Crane and Rigging, LLC – Baton Rouge, La.: Benjamin Doyle, Jason Gillum, Gerald Greene II, Gary Harrod Jr., John Henderson, Alex Leatherwood, Brock Linder, Anthony Moseley, Johnathan Nunley, Darel Reeves, Chad Segura, Royce Thompson Jr., Bruce White

Dutcher-Phipps Crane & Rigging Company – Monahans, Texas: Luis Marquez, Luis Valle

Hill Crane Service, Inc. – Long Beach, Calif.: Kyle De Kruyf

Ideal Crane Rental, Inc. – Madison, Wis.: Chris Dowden, Joe Lininger, Steve Schwoegler

JJ Curran Crane Company – Detroit, Mich.: Preston Baldock, Collin Campbell, Nic Crisp, Pat Farr, Jacob Kull, Jon Lynch, Garrett Setser, Jim Warrington

McNally-Nimergood Co. – Saginaw, Mich.: Justin Lijewski

Mountain Crane Service, LLC – Salt Lake City, Utah: Brent Adams, Riley Allen, Cody Allman, Adam Christensen, Briggs Connolly, Gaige Crabtree, Jeremy Dunn, Jacob Evans, Reese Gordon, Roy Justice, Jared Matthews, Jared Neeley, Ricke Olds, Justin Piep, Bobby Richards, Dan Roberts, Jeff Skewes, Chase Sorochuk, Doug Steinfeldt, Ashton Stephens

Roll Group – Dayton, Texas: David Abbott, Byron Webb

TAKKION – Casper, Wyo.: Marcus Salway

The Rigger Safety Award was given to riggers who exhibit exemplary work achievements by accumulating a minimum of 10,000 work hours accrued as a rigger while working for their current company, and recording zero incidents or accidents during that time. Winners this year total 12 individuals and represent five member companies:

Barnhart – Memphis, Tenn.: Tim Biggers

Bragg Companies – Long Beach, Calif.: Jamie Holmes

Deep South Crane and Rigging, LLC – Baton Rouge, La.: Raymond Hernandez, Heath Meche, Ronald Robertson, Jr., Shannon Twomey, Devin Willis

A band for the ages.

MEI Rigging & Crating – Albany, Ore.: Arthur Johnson

Roll Group – Dayton, Texas: Stanley Dillon, Kedrick Lewis, Luis Martinez, Nicholas York

Three SC&RA member companies received a Transportation Zero Accidents Award for having no recordable accidents:

KMX International, Hamburg, Pa.

Nexgen Transportation, Acheson, Alberta, Canada

Precision Heavy Haul, Inc., Tolleson, Ariz.

Six SC&RA member companies received a Transportation Fleet Mileage Category Award for having the lowest accident frequency rate in different mileage categories:

100,000 miles to 500,000 miles – Precision Heavy Haul, Inc., Tolleson, Ariz.

500,000 miles to 1.5 Million miles – Nexgen Transportation, Acheson, Alberta, Canada

1.5 Million miles to 5 Million miles – TAKKION – Casper, Wyo.

5 Million miles to 20 Million miles – Pahoa Express Inc. – Clinton Township, Mich.

20 Million miles to 50 Million miles – Maxim Crane Works, L.P. – Wilder, Ky.

Over 100 Million miles – Landstar Transportation Logistics, Inc. – Jacksonville, Fla.

One member company earned a Fleet Safety Improvement Award by showing a reduction in their accident frequency rate for miles traveled, compared to their previous year accident frequency rate:

Landstar Transportation Logistics, Inc. – Jacksonville, Fla.

One member company earned a Fleet Safety Award for endeavoring to constantly improve their safety record:

KMX International – Hamburg, Pa.

This year, two professional drivers from an SC&RA member company were recognized with the Million Miler Safety Award. The Million Miler recognizes drivers who have accumulated a minimum of one million consecutive miles of safe driving within the industry:

Landstar Transportation Logistics, Inc. – Jacksonville, Fla.: George T. Castle

Berard Transportation, Inc.– New Iberia, La.: Roy Courville

The following Driver Safety Award recipients are being recognized for accumulating five years of accident-free driving:

Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental, Inc. – Milwaukee, Wis.: Andrew Scherer, Joe Edgar and Ty Burgess

Highway Heavy Hauling – Portland, Ore.: Gerald Lawson, Nick Boyles, Timothy Adams and Tyler Asay

Ideal Crane Rental – Madison, Wis.: Chris Sibley

Roll Group – Dayton, Texas: Ricky Suire, Rusty Eddins and Scott Caughmann

McNally-Nimergood Co. – Saginaw, Mich.: Andrew Schluckebier

Triton Transport Ltd. – Chilliwack, British Colombia, Canada: Daniel Robertson

The 2025 SC&RA President’s Award honoree was Harry Fry & Associates, located in Maricopa, Ariz. The President’s Award is given to companies whose employees recruit three or more new members during the previous year. In total, Harry Fry & Associates recruited four new members to the SC&RA family.

And finally, 57 companies were presented Longevity Awards for their continuous membership in the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association, and one member company was presented with the SC&RA President’s Award.

For the Longevity Awards, the honorees and their years of longevity include:

75 Years

Laramie Enterprises, Inc. – Wixom, Mich.

Talbert Manufacturing, Inc. – Rensselaer, Ind.

60 Years

Atlas Industrial Contractors LLC – Columbus, Ohio

Fenton Rigging & Contracting, Inc. – Cincinnati, Ohio

55 Years

Sheedy Drayage Co. – San Francisco, Calif.

50 Years

Tesar Industrial Contractors – Cleveland, Ohio

45 Years

CEI Crane & Rigging – Massillon, Ohio

Central Rent-A-Crane, Inc. – Hammond, Ind.

Sterling Crane – Thornton, Colo.

40 Years

Associated Industrial Riggers Corp. – East Syracuse, N.Y.

Barnhart – Memphis, Tenn.

C&R Transfer Corporation – San Diego, Calif.

Murphy Rigging & Erecting, Inc. – Saint Paul, Minn.

PSC Crane & Rigging – Piqua, Ohio

35 Years

Brennan & Stuart Inc. – LaSalle, Ill.

D&D Machinery Movers & Millwrights, Inc. – Lexington, Ky.

Dielco Crane Service, Inc. – Las Vegas, Nev.

Hendrickson – Woodridge, Ill.

IRH – Salt Lake City, Utah

Lane’s Crane Service – Moosic, Pa.

Maxim Crane Works, L.P. – Wilder, Ky.

Scott-Woods Transport Inc. – Sutton West, Ontario, Canada

Specialized Machinery Transport, Inc. – Webster, Mass.

Stephen Izzi Trucking & Rigging, Inc. – Edison, N.J.

30 Years

A&A Machinery Moving, An MEI Company – Albany, Ore.

Barr Specialized Inc. – Pinckneyville, Ill.

Bay Crane Midwest – Columbus, Ohio

Bennett International Group – McDonough, Ga.

Brownlee Trucking, Inc. - West Middletown, Pa.

Equipment Express Inc. – Ayr, Ontario, Canada

General Machine Shop, Inc. – Landover, Md.

H.W. Farren LLC – Ledgewood, N.J.

Harry Fry & Associates – West Newbury, Mass.

Howard L. Bowers Contracting Co., Inc. – Wintersville, Ohio

LaVenture Crane & Rigging, Inc. - New Richmond, Wis.

M&T Equipment Finance Corporation – Houston, Texas

ML Crane Group – Albuquerque, N.M.

Modern Crane Service Inc. – Onalaska, Wis.

Pioneer Heavy Haul Inc. – Welland, Ontario, Canada

Poindexter Transport – Indianapolis, Ind.

R.H. Marlin, Inc. – Indianapolis, Ind.

Rigging Gear Sales, Inc. – Dixon, Ill.

Southern Tier Express Inc. – Andover, N.Y.

Transamerican Equip. North Carolina Corp. - Indian Trail, N.C.

25 Years

Able Rigging Contractors, Inc. – Deer Park, N.Y.

BNSF Logistics – Coppell, Texas

Carl Belt, Incorporated – Cumberland, Md.

CCO Certification – Murray, Utah

DeLong Industrial Moving, Inc. DBA J&W Transfer – Janesville, Wis.

Floyd’s Rigging & Machinery Movers, Inc. – Adrian, Mich.

Friderici Special SA – Tolochenaz, Switzerland

G&L Corporation - Fort Wayne, Ind.

Hohl Industrial Services, Inc. – Tonawanda, N.Y.

Meteor Express, Inc. – Scottsboro, Ala.

Mideast Machinery Movers, Inc. - New Paris, Ohio

Nabholz Industrial Services - North Little Rock, Ark.

TNT Crane & Rigging, Inc. – Houston, Texas