Eric Liner to Lead LGMG North America as Craig Paylor and Rusty Kaylor Retire
LGMG North America announced that Craig Paylor is retiring as president and CEO effective January 1 and Eric Liner will replace him as top executive. Rusty Kaylor, senior vice president, has also decided to retire.
Paylor and Kaylor are MEWP industry icons with careers that span decades. Paylor successfully led multiple companies, most notably JLG for many years and has mentored many of the industries’ current leaders. Kaylor built successful rental companies over his long career. LGMG was proud to have had both men as the faces of LGMG North America since its inception in 2019.
Yanyu Shi, chairman of the board of directors of LGMG said, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Craig. Without his vision and leadership, the company would not have had the success it has enjoyed.”
Shi also praised Kaylor, “Rusty has played an integral role in the growth of our North American business operations, having drawn upon decades of success within the equipment rental industry. We greatly appreciate Rusty’s contribution to our success as well.”
Paylor and Kaylor will continue to consult for the company as the transition proceeds.
Liner joined LGMG North America in August 2021 as senior vice president of national accounts. He has spent more than 20 years in the construction equipment industry, almost exclusively with access and material handling equipment manufacturers. His most recent position prior to LGMG was executive vice president, Americas, responsible for all Skyjacks’ commercial business activities in North, Central, and South America.
“Eric is the right leader to take our North American business operations to the next level,” said Shi. “His extensive access equipment experience and business development skills will help strengthen our distribution partnerships, expand our strategic alliances and solidify our brand in the North American market.”
Liner is looking forward to the future, “I am extremely excited about leading the LGMG North American business operations,” he said. “We are in the initial stages of development and have a tremendous opportunity to significantly expand our business in the years ahead. I look forward to working alongside our team as we strive to become North America’s access equipment manufacturer of choice.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.