Empire Crane continues to elevate the industry standard
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Syracuse, New York, Empire Crane Company (Empire) has witnessed many changes over its 24-year history. Specializing in the sale, service, parts, and rentals of cranes, the business offers products from six major manufacturers – Tadano, Kobelco, Manitex, Magni, Broderson, and Jekko. Through its extensive experience and wide-ranging crane fleet, Empire can assist customers across a range of applications, sizes and requirements.
Always keen to ensure that its customers get the right product for their projects, Empire is continuously assessing its fleet and the market to ensure it remains innovative and ahead of the competition. Luke Lonergan, Empire’s owner, joins Construction Today to update us on the company and the market since it was last featured three years ago. He begins by noting some significant market changes. “There’s been some major acquisitions, with manufacturers purchasing other manufacturers,” he reveals. “In 2019 Tadano acquired Terex Corporation’s Demag Mobile Cranes, and in 2024 it also purchased Manitex International. Tadano’s experience and quality reputation will play into Manitex’s lineup of equipment, and we are looking forward to Tadano’s innovations to be rolled out in the Tadano Boom truck line.”
Extensive product portfolio
Tadano had already purchased Mantis Cranes in 2008, and Luke notes the popularity of Mantis products among his clientele. Overall, Tadano’s acquisition strategy has resulted in Empire’s product range expanding. Tadano is refining its operations across the brands it’s purchased, to ensure the products are the best combination of technologies to address clients’ needs.
“This has been a great opportunity for us to become a fully-fledged authorized Tadano dealer, almost like a one-stop shop. It’s important to us that we purchase their latest units to have as stock to sell or for our rental fleet. Showcasing the latest tech is a key selling point to demonstrate to our customers why Tadano is a top brand in the industry,” adds Luke.
“It also works well alongside our other brand offerings,” he continues. “We have great products from Kobelco, and we began selling a mini crane line from Jekko USA at the beginning of 2023. This rounded out our fleet offering nicely. Jekko cranes and mini pickers are incredibly maneuverable and come with an extensive offering of attachments that our customers appreciate. We were also named Jekko Dealer of the Year for 2023, which we accepted at the 2023 Arbor Expo.”
Furthermore, Empire is very proud of its relationship with Magni, for which it was the first dealer of the rotating telehandler and heavy-lift forklift in the US in 2016, and in 2024 it was honored to become a member of Magni’s 100-unit club.
Given this success Luke initially questioned the logic behind their first Magni purchase, mistaking the main boom for feet instead of meters. However, his brother Paul Lonergan, President of Empire, was able to explain all the benefits of the product, and that message was shared to customers, who continue to be converted to all the associated advantages the Magni range offers.
“We have always enjoyed consistent communication with the founders and engineers at Magni,” says Luke. In fact, such is the relationship that product feedback has been utilized when manufacturing new machines. “It doesn’t help a manufacturer to tell them everything is great,” Luke points out. “We want them to release products that get better, and their products now meet a whole range of sizes and application requirements.
“We have gained significant traction with the Westtech Woodcracker attachment on the RTH Magni models, specifically the 6.31 and 6.35 range,” he adds. “Tree companies love this combination as it cuts the job time in half and is much safer than climbing. We’ve sold more than 25 of these combinations to date with more on the horizon.
“Unless you install a winch option, you don’t need a crane license in the United States to operate a Magni,” Luke continues. “Suddenly site managers can achieve the same results without needing a rough terrain crane or truck crane, and we have rented dozens of Magnis to significant projects over four and five stories. This can really offer benefits when it comes to the qualifications required of site staff.”
Luke also notes Empire’s work with the Broderson brand, highlighting that the IC-200-3J model is its number one rental unit for that manufacturer and that it has several Broderson products in the rental fleet. “The Broderson business is really getting stronger for us year after year. We’ve got good personal relationships with the owner of Broderson, and the products are a very reliable part of the business.”
Robust relationships
Alongside rentals, a substantial part of the Empire business revolves around sales and Luke notes that its expertise in recommending the best product for the job often results in rental purchases. “We get the equipment on site and once it’s in the hands of the customer, we hope we don’t see it again! We thrive on selling cranes,” he says. “We are always making deals with other dealerships, as well as helping our customers sell machines out of their inventories. Good working relationships with other companies are integral in our industry. We always aim to do right by whomever we’re working with, and that in turn will allow us to work with them again in the future. A dealership might have something to trade or something that they want off their books, and we’ll have the right market for that. So, working together is a win-win. We are happy to share our inventory and let the world know what we have for sale. That’s why we’ve sold cranes to dozens of countries around the world.”
Another vital contributor to Empire’s success is the service side, and a new 6000-square-foot shop is set to enhance these operations. “The new shop gives us more room to store some of our battery-powered machines, so they are safe from the elements in the winter months,” Luke explains. “Being in the Northeast we can get several feet of snow and want to protect these types of machines but keep them on charge. When showing potential buyers the products, it’s much nicer to do so inside the shop when the weather is bad, too.
“The new shop also has more bays to house bigger cranes that need work when our primary shop is being used. The higher ceilings allow for the boom on some units to extend further when being worked on,” he adds.
Ahead of the curve
On the horizon, Luke mentions a potential business opportunity: the announcement that Micron Technology is investing in a huge semiconductor fabrication facility about 20 minutes away. Predicted to create nearly 50,000 jobs in the region over the next 20 years, Luke notes how this development will benefit the area. “The project will put Syracuse on the map and make up for all the major manufacturing industry that we’ve lost over the years. Of course, a project on that scale, and the resulting infrastructure expansions, will need a lot of machines, and we intend to be in the thick of it for the companies who win the bid!”
With the Micron project on the agenda for the future, Luke is maintaining focus on the rest of 2025. “We’re continuing to acquire new machines from all the manufacturers we’re authorized to sell, and our sales team is doing a great job of moving them. We just saw the best year we’ve ever had in 2024, and 2025 is looking to overtake that,” he says. “Essentially, we are looking to sell as many machines, parts, and as much service as possible. We’ve been busy moving the inventory we have, and we’ve got more on the way from all our manufacturers. We’re looking forward to finishing the year strong.
“We will always keep an eye on industry trends and advancements to influence what we purchase moving forward,” concludes Luke. “We pride ourselves on being a dealer that wows customers with our solutions and our recommendations of what they need.”