Maxim Crane Works Hires Former United Rentals Executive Paul McDonnell as CEO
Maxim Crane Works L.P., the world’s largest crane rental company, announced the appointment of former United Rentals executive Paul McDonnell as CEO, effective immediately. McDonnell will also join the company’s board of directors.
McDonnell has more than 25 years of experience in the construction equipment rental industry, including more than 20 years at United Rentals, the largest equipment rental company in the world, most recently serving as executive vice president and chief commercial officer. McDonnell joined United Rentals in 1999 when United acquired D&E Steelplate Rental, where McDonnell was general manager, and served in numerous roles of increasing leadership responsibility across sales, operations and management. He played a critical role in growing its specialty rental business both organically and through acquisitions to the largest of its kind globally, increasing annual revenues more than 10 times to more than $2 billion.
“On behalf of the entire board, I am confident that with his more than two decades of specialty rental experience, Paul is the right executive to strengthen Maxim’s market leadership and continue enhancing the equipment and service provided to customers,” said Michael Kneeland, chairman of the Maxim board of directors and former United Rentals chairman and CEO. “Having worked together at United Rentals, Paul’s entrepreneurial mindset, customer-first focus and track record of delivering profitable growth make him the ideal person to lead Maxim’s next chapter.”
“I am honored to take on the role of CEO and lead this terrific business and talented Maxim team,” McDonnell said. “Leveraging my experience in building the specialty rental segment at United Rentals, I look forward to working across the company’s broad footprint to deliver superior service to our customers, continue growing our company and deliver meaningful value to all our stakeholders.”
Bryan Carlisle, who retired as Maxim CEO in September 2021 and continues to serve on the board, added, “With Paul’s appointment, Maxim’s valued customers and talented employees are in experienced hands to take the company to the next level. Maxim’s future remains bright, and it is a credit to the entire organization and what they have built to have an executive of Paul’s caliber join the company. I look forward to supporting Paul and management alongside the rest of the board as they execute on the long-term vision for the business.”
In connection with McDonnell’s appointment, Maxim dissolved the interim Office of the CEO put in place in September 2021, comprising Sean Collopy, chief financial officer and treasurer; Don Goebel, chief legal officer and chief tax officer; and Larry Lis, vice president of the Midwest region. Collopy, Goebel and Lis will continue to serve in their current roles at Maxim.
Founded in 1937, Maxim is one of the largest lifting solutions businesses in North America. Maxim, with its affiliated companies, serves more than 8,000 customers through its fleet of more than 2,600 cranes situated in 61 branches. Maxim, based in Wilder, Ky., is No. 5 on the RER 100.
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.