27.01.2025
Wilkerson Crane acquires Ideal
US based Wilkerson Crane Rental has acquired the assets of St Joseph, Missouri based Ideal Crane from owners Chad and Kelly Duncan will both will remain on board.
Ideal Crane was established over 40 years ago and runs a mixed fleet that includes cranes up to a 200 tonne five axle Grove All Terrain.
Wilkerson Crane’s owner and chairman, Diana Holt said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ideal Crane to the Wilkerson family. Ideal Crane has built a strong reputation for excellence, and this partnership allows us to combine our expertise, resources, and commitment to safety to deliver unparalleled service to our customers. This acquisition enables Wilkerson to expand its fleet and geographic footprint, providing clients with access to a broader range of equipment and services. Ideal Crane’s longstanding relationships and industry knowledge will complement our operations and drive continued growth.”
Wilkerson’s new chief executive Cody Ward added: “This acquisition fits very well within the Wilkerson portfolio. As we continue to pursue our aggressive growth goals, we look forward to working with Chad and Kelly to serve our customers in the region."
General manager Larry Smith said: “Chad and Kelly have been long time clients of Wilkerson. We’re excited that we were able to acquire the assets of Ideal Crane and welcome them into the Wilkerson family – I’m confident they will fit well within our culture.”
The current Wilkerson Crane business was established 13 years ago and is located in Bonner Springs, Kansas – on the western edge of Kansas City, the original Wilkerson business was founded in the early 1960s or earlier as a construction company specialising in bridge building. In 1969 the company placed its crane fleet into a new rental division, in subsequent years the company went through several large owners before closing its crane operation in 2013 and putting its assets up for sale.
In 2013 Diana Holt was remodelling the Wilkerson group offices and heard about the closure plans. Her husband Jeff had worked for the Wilkerson crane division since 1996 as a crane operator and then assembly director. His father Fred Holt, was the general manager. Wilkerson had never registered or traded as Wilkerson Crane - it was simply known as Wilkersons. Spotting an opportunity to keep the business alive, Diana was able to register a new business as Wilkerson Crane Rental, and the rest, as they say is history.
Today Wilkerson offers a wide range of cranes for rent, with or without operators, along with heavy haulage, equipment servicing, and storage services. It recently added a Liebherr MK 140-5.1 self-erecting mobile tower crane to the fleet.
Cody Ward joined the company earlier this month, taking over as chief executive from Holt, he has experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, having worked in the past with private equity firms. He comes to Wilkersons after three years with Kirby-Smith Machinery, where he was director of strategy, marketing and M&A. Prior to that he spent almost five years with crane overload specialist Greer.
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