My career in the crane and rigging business started in the early 1970's when I came out of the Army and went to work for a company as a rigger and part time crane operator. When the crane operator quit they asked if I could run the crane... Of course I said... but really had practically no experience. The company I now own was started by my father, Charles "Doc" Collier, in 1977 and I came on board in 1978. My early career was spent traveling with seasoned pro's learning inspection of cranes and training methods. I spent from 1980 to 1986 traveling extensively providing training for everything from DOE, US Navy, major corporations and small businesses. Due to circumstances I left Crane Tech in 1986 to work for a major sling manufacturer (1986 - 1989) and returned to Crane Tech in late 1989 to purchase the company. Throughout these years I have spent major amounts of time in the development and delivery of specialized material handling training that includes anything that can lift. The majority of Crane Tech's training and consulting is in mobile cranes, overhead cranes, aerial lifts, forklifts and rigging, and our expertise extends well into all types of material handling equipment used in maritime, offshore, general industry and construction.