The history of Phoenix Crane Rental

Prior to founding, Dick Phillips, principle owner of Phoenix Crane Rental, had been General Manager for Sims Crane Service in Florida.  In June of 1982 he was sent to Atlanta as Vice President of Southeast Lift Equipment, Inc. (a recent Sims acquisition).

In late July 1983, Dick Phillips went on vacation and returned to find that Sims had closed Southeast Lift in Atlanta.  He was then invited back to Tampa to run the whole operation, but he was convinced there was an opportunity for another crane rental operation in Atlanta.  As he thought it through, he realized that he knew someone who could help him get his own business started.  Bill Dickerson who had the money, or at least a very strong balance sheet in a limited, related, partnership.  This limited partnership owned 36 cranes, most of which were sitting idle in Georgetown, S.C. after finishing a large project there. However, the limited partnership did not want to sell or manage the cranes, they were in the leasing business. This was exactly what Dick needed, a supply of cranes that he would not have to purchase, but could lease on a short term basis. Dick and Bill got together at a local Holiday Inn and worked into the "wee-hours" of the morning writing a business plan for the new venture that Dick had envisioned.  Bill brought his four children and Ernie Baer (his CPA) into the business, each owning 10% of the stock.  Ernie brought only "sweat" equity to the partnership.

Jim Miller at Fidelity National Bank helped Dick and Sally Phillips start their crane rental business with a second $25K mortgage on their house in Atlanta.  Together they met with insurance people, Sally worked the books, and the new company was started.  

Dick bought a Chevrolet S-10 pickup and pager; got a phone, an answering service and a post office box.   They were in business!  September 1, 1983 is the date of incorporation.  The name "Phoenix" came from the mythological character, suggested by Ernie Baer, "rising out of the ashes of the Southeast Lift Equipment Division of Sims. Sally Phillips went to work for Masonite Corporation to help meet the bills from September 1983 until mid 1984 when she started full-time with Phoenix.

In 1985 Dick decided to buy the 40% of stock controlled by the Dickerson family, keeping Ernie Baer as his CPA and financial advisor.

The business has steadily grown since 1983 with the addition of four of the five children of Dick and Sally working in the business. Ernie was the last remaining partner outside the business until February 1992 when his interest was bought out by the Phillips family.

In January 1993, Phoenix bought out Southern Machinery Movers & Erectors, their closest competitor in the Atlanta area, doubling the size of the business. They have retained 90-95% of Southerns customer base since then.

In June 2002, looking to expand and extend their market, Phoenix bought Elberton Crane & Rigging located in Elberton, Georgia. After nine months operating out of Elberton, Northeast Georgia Crane & Rigging Service (the company formed by Phoenix to operate the Elberton business) moved its base of operation to Athens, Georgia.

In May 2004, the acquisition of B & B Crane & Rigging Service in Gainesville, Georgia added to Phoenix customer base, as well as adding to the geographic expansion already started in the northeast corner of the state. By utilizing a custom designed dispatching system, Phoenix is capable of sending cranes from any of the three branches, based on availability.

In between the purchase of Elberton Crane & Rigging and B&B Crane & Rigging, Phoenix opened a branch office in Augusta, Georgia in May 2003. This branch continues to grow with its main customer base being the many industrial plants along the Georgia/South Carolina border.  This branch operates under the jurisdiction of Operating Engineers Local 474. All other branches remain open Shop, or non-union.

Phoenix Crane Rental continually searches for ways to expand, either geographically into other areas of Georgia, or by upgrading and expanding its fleet of cranes and equipment.