Today we’d like to introduce you to BJ and Lance Bohne.
Imperial Crane is an American success story that began with a simple, uneducated man – a son of a German bean famer who in 1969 had the courage to buy a single 25 ton crane with his last bit of savings. With unmatched tenacity, the straight-shooting, outspoken, John Bohne worked his knuckles raw to become one of the most powerful businessmen in Chicago, while also building what has become one of the largest crane companies in the world. “From the minute I met him, I knew that someday John would be very successful. The man always talked about his dreams'” said Gayle Bohne, John’s former wife. For over 45 years, Imperial Crane has been in the business of renting, buying and selling cranes. Imperial also offers superior customer service on a 24-hour basis and have been doing ongoing emergency work for the City of Chicago. Fast forward time to 2003, John Bohne passed away from cancer which left the company to the Bohne sons.
There was no stipulation as to who would do what, but since Lance was already president of Imperial Crane Sales, it made the most sense to appoint BJ Bohne the president of Imperial Crane Services, Inc. BJ was made the executor of John’s will prior to his death. BJ followed so closely in his father’s footsteps that he knew how to do the job and had the potential to do it.
When the word got out about the company’s new leadership, fears and uncertainty concerning its future escalated within and outside the company. The perception was that the boys were not really interested in keeping the business. Out came the naysayers.
“They’re going to sell the company. They won’t want to deal with all the banks, insurance companies and contacts.” Competitors knew the guy who built the ship was out of the way. “For ten years prior to my father’s death, he had been gifting us percentages of the company. We had countless conversations regarding power transfers and so on. That taught me a lot” said BJ Bohne. BJ scrambled to make sense of the next steps of the business, but remembered his father’s pastimes: gin. Gin is a two player card game which uses the standard card deck. The winner must engage risk and intuition to knock the others off to “go gin”. Using this mind set, this is what BJ used to become a major champion in the crane rental industry. In other words, after playing years of gin with his father who he considered the expert, BJ was ready to play anything against anyone, for the best game of his life. “It’s amazing to see what these kids have done with the business. To see where it is now compared to when we started is truly amazing” said Larry Gedmin, one of Imperial’s first and current employees. In 2005 the business was still intact but Lance, Executive Vice President, suggested hiring a consulting firm to pull together the direction of the business. The consulting firm diagnosed that the company needed a controller and a human resources manager. Dave Dobson, who was part of the consulting firm through his name into the hat as controller and was hired. Years later, he became CFO as the company grew even more.
Dave is currently still employed with Imperial Crane. Once Dave was promoted, he hired a controller to take over his role. Along with the addition of new staff in 2005, Imperial Crane acquired Mooncotch Crane as part of their commitment to grow. Jay not only had crane experience, but was a rigger and operator himself which brought a lot to the table. Today, John’s sons Lance and BJ run what has become the largest locally owned full-service crane company in the Midwest. Since his passing in 2003, the award-winning company has grown from twenty employees to over three hundred, increased its fleet from thirty to over two hundred cranes, and has nearly quadrupled its revenues. By building solid long-term relationships across America, Imperial Crane has elevated its prominence from Chicago’s largest crane company to one of the largest crane companies nationwide.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Instead of pulling back or treading softly after John Bohne died as many would have expected, BJ and Lance expanded into new territories, locations and satellite offices. They also approached refineries which grew the company’s numbers. Imperial coincidentally was approached by the largest refinery which was a game-changing proposition. Their previous crane company had two major accidents which resulted in $200 million dollars in damages and the refinery was desperate to find a new crane company. Once again, BJ took a risk and purchased $50 million worth of new cranes before the contract was officially signed. Most would say this was one of the biggest decisions and risks in the company’s history.
Obviously, it paid off which created more jobs for crane operators in the union. Imperial also experienced setbacks when the construction industry took a turn for the worst in 2009.
Imperial not only survived, but thrived through the most trying economic times this country has seen since the Great Depression.
The market has also had some up and down trends, but Imperial has acquired companies like Mooncotch Cranes and Speedway Crane to establish ongoing growth along with expanding into new territories and expanding their service line into the power and wind industry with Imperial Power Services, Inc. What made Imperial so successful over the years? Simple: the grace of God, a lot of luck and guts. John started the company as an aggressive and fearless decision maker.
He instilled this same ideology into his sons, and so the company has continued with that vision. The company has experienced expansion and growth despite periods of a poor economy and lackluster financial environment.
Imperial Crane Services, Inc. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Imperial Crane is a family owned, second generation crane rental company located in Bridgeview, IL with additional office locations in LaSalle, IL, Griffith and Whitting, Indiana, LaPorte, Texas, Benton Harbor, MI, and Sulfur, Louisiana. Imperial is the dealer for Merlo, Pettibone, Tadano and Elliott. Imperial Crane is recognized as one of the top 25 crane rental companies by American Crane and Transport magazine. Imperial Crane is also recognized every year for their commitment to safety. Imperial Crane as a company/culture is committed to keeping our employees safe every night so they may return to their families. Since its inception, Imperial Crane has been a cut above the rest regarding safety. This is what makes Imperial Crane stand out in the industry and been awarded jobs as a result of their safety culture. Imperial has never had a fatality in the history of the company. Imperial carries $50 million dollars in insurance which is ten times the industry standard. An entire safety team works in the safety trailer at Imperial’s headquarters in Bridgeview, IL. BJ and Lance stand by their motto of “Talk Safety Live Safety”.
During BJ and Lance’s regime, Imperial wrote their own safety manual and began an aggressive re-education drive, including regular safety meetings, workshops, and a print campaign. The idea was to get the message across that Imperial Crane discussing safety was not mere rhetoric. They instilled a safety culture with no tolerance for unwarranted risk. Imperial Crane, its owners, management, field staff and all employees have fostered and promoted a working climate where safety is valued by each employee, both on and off the job.
Our utmost priority is a commitment to developing and cultivating a positive outlook on safety. This singular belief is the bedrock upon which our work is planned and executed. ‘On schedule’ and ‘within budget’ are by products of a safety conscience work plan. Imperial has been living the “Talk Safety Live Safety” mentality and this has been recognized nationally.
Imperial has been recognized for its impeccable safety record from organizations like Three Rivers Manufacturing Association, NWIBRT (Northwest Indiana Business Roundtable), ASA Chicago (Association of Subcontractors and Affiliates), and SC&RA (Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association). Imperial has an EMR (Experience Modification Rating) of 0.72.
This is one of the lowest in the crane industry. An EMR is an insurance safety adjustment factor applied to rating the premium for workman’s compensation up or down. Imperial is able to offer training in areas such as signaling, fork lift operation, and self-propelled hydraulic boom lifts. Imperial Crane has almost ZERO turnover. They are committed to making their employees proud to work here. They offer a flexible vacation policy, work-life balance, bring your kid to work event, employee Christmas party, generous profit sharing plan, ability to work with supervisor to select hours that fit best for each person’s family, personal vehicle for upper management, bonuses, and gas tank privileges for sales employees and upper management. For the last 45 years plus, Imperial Crane takes time to make each customer feel valued and appreciated. Whether it’s the customer that needs a smaller lift, to a customer that has a refinery need, each customer is treated the same. Imperial Crane offers solutions to make the customers job run smoothly, efficiently and on time. In a recent transformer project, Imperial Crane was featured in a magazine for saving the customer 12 days of outage time.
Something that makes Imperial Crane even more unique is the company being more than a crane company. The company not only lifts heavy equipment, but the company lifts hearts of others by the creation of the Bohne Foundation that was created in 2013.
After the passing of John Bohne, BJ sought out to carry on his father’s legacy of generosity, taking it a step further by launching the Bohne Foundation. The Bohne Family carries on the legacy of John Bohne by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the destitute, encouraging the hopeless, while aiding the neediest members of our global community.
Bohne Foundation has raised support for medical research, sponsored charity benefits, partnered with global ministry outreaches, sponsored substance abuse recovery efforts, responded to relief campaigns and aggressively engaged in anti-gun-violence initiatives in the city of Chicago. Each year since its inception, the Bohne Foundation holds a charity golf outing in September. The proceeds from the event assist with the Bohne Foundation’s mission.
“I think one of the things that make us so successful and has helped guide me in business is our focus on giving back to the community and the world through the Bohne Foundation, which is supported by our business, Imperial Crane. The entire team working for the success of Imperial ultimately supporting a much larger cause has really developed and bond among the employees that has been significant in our success,” “God has blessed us with so much. But that is not enough. We now have an obligation to bless others – to give back to those who are less privileged. I am always reminded of Jesus words from the book of Luke: ‘Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’ And what an honor it is to give!!” – BJ Bohne, President and CEO.
Special Recognition:
As the owners of Imperial Crane, we would like to give special recognition to both John and Bill Tierney who have been committed to the ongoing success of Imperial Crane for over 25 years. John and Bill have treated Imperial Crane like their second family and have put in endless hours to make Imperial what it is today. John is a dispatcher at Imperial Crane and Bill is the companies COO. Both Bill and John are extremely loyal employees. They both care immensely about the company, about its customers, about its mission… they feel they’re working for something greater than just themselves. Their positive energy and dedication is seen by others and creates a positive working environment around them being leaders of the company.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7500 Imperial Drive, Bridgeview, IL 60455
- Website: www.imperialcrane.com
- Phone: 708.598.2300
- Email: info@imperialcrane.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImperialCrane/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImperialCrane
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/imperial-crane-services-inc.
Image Credit:
Frank Richert – FMR Photography
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