July, 2008
Vol. 2, Issue 4
In This Issue
Every Adult's Dream Come True!
The Familiar Faces of Curran Crane
30 Year's & Counting
Michigan Humane Society Donation
Quick Links
JJ Curran Crane Website
Curran Commitment to Community
JJ Curran Photo Gallery
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Field Engineer, Craig Lindsay recently celebrated his 30 year anniversary at JJ Curran Crane. Craig is pictured above wearing a gift given by the company as a small token of appreciation.
Craig joined JJ Curran Crane in 1978 as an operating engineer and in 1988 joined the sales force. Craig says that over the years he has done a little of just about every job at Curran Crane. We thank him for his dedication and years of service.
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Michigan Humane Society Donation
Thanks to Linda Curran and her company "Snack Shack" the employees and visitors of Curran Crane are able to grab a cool drink or replace a forgotten lunch when needed.
The "Snack Shack" proceeds for the month of June have been donated to the Michigan Humane Society in memory of our former yard dog, Boomer.
Thank you to all of you who donated to this cause.
Welcome to the July edition of Curran Events, JJ Curran Crane's bi-monthly newsletter. Read below about the amazing tree-house we recently placed, learn more about a few of our long-time employees, and have some fun with our operators' nicknames.
Every Adult's Dream Come True!
From time to time JJ Curran Crane Co. is called upon to perform unusual, extraordinary and impossible tasks. We recently took on a tree house project at a residence in Rochester Hills that fits the unusual and extraordinary type.
The homeowner had a custom-made tree house designed and
constructed in California. The base was a 60" trunk of a huge oak tree, which was hollowed out, with a trap door leading to the second section of the tree house. There was also 
a deck that extended off the back of upper level.
The homeowner had three different construction companies and their crane counterpart companies look at the job and all declined to do it. The homeowners' 4th contractor, Twin Pines Landscaping, called Curran Crane and we gladly took on the challenge. Operators Rick McComas and Dewayne Caldwell displayed great teamwork and skill lifting three sections over the home and placing them with precision in the back yard.
What made the job difficult was the radius of 155', trees directly behind the pad, the 40' height of the house that was 10' from the pad, and there were no lifting eyes or lugs. Working with the contractor, we designed a custom-made lifting beam that worked fantastic. The job required our 175-ton truck crane and the heaviest lift was 6000 lbs. It took nine hours to complete the job. If you are wondering what the total price was for this project try $25,000.00. As you can see in the pictures, it was not only a child's play house, it was also a work of art.
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The Familiar Faces of Curran Crane
Les Whitbeck and Ron Forstner are long-time members of our Mechanic crew.
Les Whitbeck is our Master Mechanic and has been employed at JJ Curran for over 30 years. His father and brother also worked at Curran Crane and have retired. Les has been married for 33 years and has two sons in college; one in pre-med and the other in Mechanical Engineering. In the 70's, Les had quite a reputation as a "party boy" and has many fond memories but is currently pleased to be known as a valued employee.
Ron Forstner has been a mechanic at Curran Crane for 14 years. He says JJ Curran has a positive working environment with good people willing to change with the times and a great fleet of equipment. Ron feels fortunate to have known the founding father, John Curran. He enjoys racing motor cycles on a dirt track and is the proud father of 8 month old daughter, Allison.
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Notable Nicknames
A nickname is sometimes considered desirable, often symbolizes a form of acceptance and can also be a way to lighten up the mood
and have some fun during work. Many of our operators have very unique nicknames, some which are mentioned below:
Mark "Catfish" DeBoard grew up in Kentucky where he enjoys Catfish handling.
Pat Farr: Peeps and his PP Cruiser
Aaron Parsons became know as "Air Boy" when he was in his early oiling days, spending a lot of time filling up tires.
Dewayne Caldwell: Heavy D
Aaron Ortiz: Big Cheese Ortiz
Jason Steele: Buns of Steele
Ben Love: Dude McLovin'
