Barnhart adding Cattani Crane to nationwide network

LADD — Cattani’s crane company in Ladd has been doing the heavy lifting for the Illinois Valley and northern Illinois since 1966, and now it’s under new ownership.
A larger, nationwide company with home offices in Memphis, Tenn., and the owners of E.J. Cattani & Sons Inc. over the Jan. 17-18 weekend completed the transaction.
Barnhart Crane and Rigging, which has been acquiring smaller local companies and has built its national network to 30 branch locations, has purchased the business from Bill Cattani and Paul Bazydlo, the Ladd facility’s branch manager confirmed.
Neither the former owners nor the new owners were available for comment over the weekend and before press time today.
Cattani Crane has been “the largest crane rental company in Northern Illinois,” according to the Ladd-based Cattani’s website.
The Bureau County business carries “equipment that can do everything from small jobs to massive projects. Whether you need a bulldozer for an afternoon or a fleet of cranes with operators for a month, our multiple offices throughout the area are well equipped to provide you with fast service.”
Now Cattani will be under the Barnhart umbrella, still operating in Ladd, with the same staff and equipment and retaining the name of the family business, a local official confirmed.
Barnhart has a nationwide reputation for solving problems.
“We specialize in the heavy lifting and heavy transport of major components used in American industry,” according to the Barnhart website.
“Barnhart is committed to continuous improvement and to be the best heavy lift and heavy transport company.”
Even before the Cattani acquisition, Barnhart said it had “the strongest network of rigging experts and equipment in the country.”
Barnhart’s network includes a long list of “cool tools” including PSTe Goldhofer trailers, cranes from 8.5 to 1,760 tons, slide systems, strand-jacks, and the Modular Lift Tower, according to its website.
On its site (www.barnhartcrane.com), Barnhart has photos and information on various projects, ranging from moving heavy but fragile equipment inside museums to lifting and moving nuclear reactor equipment in tight quarters to setting and moving pieces for a Michigan refinery weighing as much as 1.5 million pounds.
Founded in 1969, Barnhart continues to grow, expanding its Memphis facilities in 2013 and making nationwide acquisitions such as the 40-crane, 60-employee Crane Rental and Rigging of Omaha, Neb., last fall and Hite Crane and Rigging of Spokane, Wash., last spring.