In a little over a decade, Crainco, Inc. has successfully gone from a small home-based operation to become one of the industry leaders in crane and high reach equipment rentals.

At the time, Brian and Diane both pulled double duty since they were working other jobs. Brian would start his day in the early morning hours working on Crainco's business, answering phones and lining up jobs while Diane went to work as a Human Resources Director for a local food manufacturing company. In the early afternoon hours, their paths would cross again as Brian would go off to his job driving trucks for the same company Diane worked for and she would head home to do the billing and administrative work for Crainco.

This "tag team" routine carried them through the first two years in the business and helped to solidify the company at a time when others were closing their doors.

(Far left) Crainco using their 80 Ton Grove to erect a TV tower for Channel 7 on Mount Wilson in Angeles Crest.
(Middle left) Using a helicoper and rigging to place chillers on top of an Irvine office complex.
(Middle right) Hanging the message board at the Promanade for the City of Santa Fe Springs.
(Right top) Crainco offers Potain self erecting mobile tower cranes for sale, rent or lease.
(Right bottom) Brian Smith (right) rigging and replacing water valves and pipes for the San Gabriel Water District.

Their partnership seemed to get a little help from "above" when their very first job involved providing a man basket for a tree-trimming project at the church where Brian and Diane were married years earlier. "I always did have a good feeling about it; that job was a great sign," says Brian.

Two years later, they had enough business to justify a move to the company's first office space in Santa Fe Springs. After a few moves in the same general vicinity, the company now boasts a 5-acre facility complete with office space and a large storage yard.

Under Smith's leadership as President and C.E.O., Crainco has established itself as one of the most prolific over-the-road mobile crane services in the industry.

(Below) Crainco performing a triple crane pick for the City of Santa Fe Springs and their Heritage Park Train Museum using a 150 Ton Krupp loaned to Crainco by Tom Colton of Colton Equipment, as well as a Grove 80 Ton and a 90 Ton P&H conventional to lift a refurbished 92 ton locomotive. All labor, material and equipment were donated by Crainco, Inc. and their employees.

Its mobile crane division, headed by Operations Manager Chuck Pettit, is comprised of cranes ranging in size from 35 to 150-ton cranes from manufacturers such as National, Lorain, Manitowoc, P & H and Demag.

Crainco is also one of the few companies on the West Coast to rent, sell and lease Potain self-erecting tower cranes. These particular cranes can be driven behind a truck, taken to a site, erected in minimal time and can be operated by remote control.

Crainco's aerial division, under the direction of Operations Manager Brian Petterson, has an extensive inventory of more than 300 scissor lifts, forklifts and articulating booms from manufacturers such as Grove, Upright, Eagle, Condor, JLG, Champ and Gradall.

Brian Smith with a crew of volunteers getting ready for a triple pick for the City of Santa Fe Springs and
their Heritage Park Train Museum. (Inset) Chuck Pettit, Crainco's Vice President of Operations.

The company also serves as the exclusive Southern California representative for Aichi Boom Lifts, based out of Japan, and has approximately 50 of these booms on hand at any given time.

Over the years, Crainco has provided operators and equipment for many different projects. Some of these include working with the U.S Forestry Service, major movie studios, theme parks, airports and other specialty rigging projects.

Mark and Brian of KLOS Radio Show shown here on Brian's birthday where he was treated to a special
surprise in the "Fun Zone". Crainco Inc. donated a 27-ton National Crane for Brian to bungie jump off
of for his annual birthday surprise.

One such project was the rigging and transport of six large satellite dishes from the K-Mart headquarters in West Los Angeles to a building on the other side of town. This involved the use of a Sikorsky helicopter and various complex-rigging procedures. Crainco has also provided services for Disney's California Adventure where they worked on many of the rides doing sheet metal work and providing lifts, as necessary. Their relationship with Fullerton Municipal Airport has resulted in the raising and transportation of various downed aircraft, usually on very short notice.

Crainco has also provided many volunteer services to the community, including one particular project for the City of Santa Fe Springs that involved the relocation of a 92-ton historical locomotive from New Mexico to Santa Fe Springs. This project was accomplished by passing the locomotive between three cranes: a 150-ton Demag, a 90-ton conventional and an 80-ton hydraulic crane. All work was done "blind" through radio communication only.

Crainco picking a 32-ton art sculpture atop of Tower Records
with their brand new Demag 150-ton crane.

Crainco also carries C60 and C61 contractor's licenses for machinery transport and offers its trucking services for specialty and wide-load hauling of equipment.

In addition, approximately 30 fully trained and certified crane operators and service technicians ensure that your equipment needs can be met in the shortest possible time.

Crainco also offers safety training and certification classes, as required by ANSI and OSHA, on scissor lifts, booms and forklifts and has a complete line of safety equipment for sale in its Santa Fe Springs will call center. Smith credits the company's ability to provide such a variety of services to his very competent team of employees. "They're a great bunch of guys, willing to give their heart and soul," says Smith.

"The key to our success has always been service. Everybody has equipment, but we take the extra step and do anything it takes to get the job done," he adds.

Providing such service has, ironically, given Crainco some of its greatest challenges when considering the slow and methodic growth pattern that Smith has preferred.

While the company has enjoyed a well-planned ten percent growth each year, Smith says that "holding back on the reins" is constantly an issue for a company wanting to stay independent and maintain its family- oriented atmosphere.

The company's expansion plan for the near future involves adding an additional facility in Corona by March and possibly another in the Ventura area within a few years.

Brian and Diane Smith are proud of their children and grandchildren. They are from top left to right; Sveta, Aaron, Tanya, Eric, Katie. (Grand children bottom L to R) Willow, Collin and Paige. (Inset right) Sveta and Tanya dressed in traditional Russian contumes.

That family atmosphere at Crainco is well cemented with Brian and Diane in executive positions at Crainco and sons Eric, 26, and Aaron, 24, both working for the company. The Smith sons have added three grandchildren, Collin, Paige and Willow, to the bunch just as Brian and Diane became parents again when they adopted two daughters, Tanya (13) and Sveta (12), from St. Petersburg, Russia in 1999 through Nightlight. Nightlight Christian Adoption Association is an Adoption Agency with which Brian and Diane's heart went out to. Brian and Diane have gotten themselves into the fund raising aspect of the Agency. Brian was instrumental in the success of their 1st annual golf tournament last September. Brian and his staff are currently preparing for the next fund raising golf tournement which will take place at Coyote Hills Golf Club in Fullerton on Wednesday, April 24, 2002.

The family enjoys golfing and snorkeling at Catalina Island. Brian, an adventurous athlete who played semi-professional football and drove in an NHR Super Comp Class racecar, is also an avid bass fisherman and has competed professionally in major fishing tournaments with organizations such as; WON Bass, American Bass and B.A.S.S. Brian also holds a SSI License as a dive control specialist and is licensed to train in scuba diving and swimming. For Brian and Diane Smith, a great partnership has brought success both professionally and personally.