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Adam Aurelius (L), vice president of operations and crane sales, and Bill Aurelius, president of Cleveland Crane & Shovel Sales
As one of the oldest Manitowoc dealers in the United States, Cleveland Crane & Shovel Sales Inc. (CC&S) has a history of customer service and support. This has been the key to the company's more than 50 years of selling, renting and servicing cranes and led to CC&S being designated an Elite Manitowoc dealer in 2004.
Cleveland Crane & Shovel photo
After years of operating a crane in the 1950s, Richard Leppla became a salesperson at the Manitowoc factory store in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1963. He purchased the store in 1978 and founded Crane and Shovel Corp. In 2004, Bill Aurelius, president of CC&S, purchased the dealership and renamed it Cleveland Crane & Shovel Sales Inc.
The company began by buying, selling and servicing equipment. As the business grew, so did its offerings, including 24-hour parts and service support seven days a week, as well as the addition of the Grove Crane line in 2008. CC&S also is a large stocking dealer of hookblocks and balls from multiple manufactures including DeHann, McKissick, Rope Block and more.
With the changing market — including the crane industry — consolidations meant CC&S had to diversify and build its rental fleet to generate a new source of revenue. This helped CC&S's customers by offering quality used cranes as well as offering options such as RPO's on new units.
Long-Time Employees
In 2009, Adam Aurelius joined his father as an entry-level service technician, becoming the third generation to work at CC&S. He attended 22 schools and became a master technician of Manitowoc. Aurelius is now vice president of operations and crane sales.
"The goal has always been to learn as much as possible about the equipment," said Adam.
In 2019, Adam moved inside as the service manager, which helped him learn the office side of the service business, then in 2021, he transitioned to operation manager and sales.
Other long-time employees include Mike Wood (Woody). Woody started with the company in 1978 and is a Manitowoc parts guru. Eric Scott started his career at CC&S in 2004 and is a master tech, traveled the world erecting and servicing cranes.
All employees pride themselves on customer service.
"Our motto is ‘Anywhere, anytime. Forget the rest, call the best — Cleveland Crane & Shovel Sales'," said Bill.
Customer Service
The CC&S facility is 18,000 sq. ft. with six service bays, nine service technicians and seven service trucks, as well as other support equipment. There also are two satellite yards and additional buildings across more than 12 acres.
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In addition to its 24/7 service, technicians provide onsite training for customers on their new equipment purchases. The service department also offers crane A/D, advanced troubleshooting, PM services, wire rope spooling, annual inspections and more. Also, the company's rental fleet is equipped with GPS systems so that the machines can be maintained to factory specifications per hourly service intervals.
CC&S also has a huge parts inventory and carries a large inventory of Manitowoc attachments, including boom inserts and an assortment of jibs. An average of 90 percent of orders are in stock at the time a customer orders. The company also stocks many hard-to-find parts. Nearly 94 percent of all orders are processed and delivered within 24 hours.
"Our employees are our most valuable resource, and we invest heavily in ensuring that they receive all the latest training and have all the tools they need to service customers," said Adam. "Our service and parts employees are trained at the factory, on site and have hands-on experience dealing with customers."
Projects
CC&S Equipment has partnered with customers to assist with the construction of a variety of prominent projects, including multiple windfarms across the United States; refineries across the United States — including Sasol refinery in Lake Charles, La.; multiple USACE dam projects, including the Blue Stone Dam project in Hinton, W. Va.; water treatment plants; bridge projects — including the Gordie Howe bridge; different port locations for offloading/loading out goods; and many more.
"Always putting the customer first has worked for many years and we are continuing to keep that goal moving forward. I am excited to be a part of the third generation and to see continued growth of Cleveland Crane & Shovel," said Adam.
"The key to more than 50 years in business is keeping the customer happy," said Bill. "We strive to work with customers and their satisfaction is always a priority."
For more information, visit craneandshovel.net. CEG
Cleveland Crane & Shovel photo
A Manitowoc crane is used to offload goods at the Port of Cleveland.
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