Company’s expansion to Wichita is ‘an incredible American dream story’

Wilkerson Crane Rental already is operating in the Wichita area, but now the Bonner Springs company is looking to establish roots here by making the city its fourth market to have a home base.

“Wichita is a very attractive market,” said CEO Cody Ward.

“We tend to look at centers of high industrial use and also population,” he said. “It just makes sense as we continue our growth path for the surrounding area.”

Ward said there’s a bit more to the company’s expansion.

“It’s just an incredible American dream story, really.”

Owners Diana and Jeff Holt bought the business in 2012 as its holding company was liquidating it.

Since then, it’s grown from a relatively small business to a “nice regional player,” Ward said.

The company rents cranes to other businesses to use, and it can send operators along with the equipment if requested.

Wilkerson Crane also does equipment repair and storage for customers.

For instance, if someone building apartments isn’t ready for all the air conditioning units to go in yet, Wilkerson Crane can store them until they’re needed.

Ward said that for the longest time, there was an Abraham Lincoln statue on the company’s 26 acres in Bonner Springs.

“I kind of got used to seeing him out back,” he said.

Eventually, the statue was placed in downtown Kansas City.

Wilkerson Crane also has machinery-moving capabilities to move objects in plants and other environments.

The company has sites in Iowa and St. Joseph, Mo., and now is looking for a Wichita site with 5 to 10 acres and room to add a small shop.

“Nothing extravagant,” Ward said.

That likely means a compacted gravel yard. Ward said access is important, too.

Wes Spencer will be the Wichita branch manager.

“He’ll be leading that effort to source a property and get us established in that market,” Ward said.

He’s got a deadline, too, for finding the company a property.

“Yesterday.”