Markel Corp. Acquires Majority Interest in Crane Rental Company Buckner
Insurance company and investment firm Markel Corp. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement for Markel to acquire a majority interest in Buckner. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. Additional terms were not disclosed.
As a fourth-generation family business, Buckner operates one of the world's largest crane rental fleets by total lifting capacity, serving large commercial contractors in the construction of wind turbines, stadiums, manufacturing facilities, and other complex projects. In addition to equipment rental services, Buckner provides its clients with lift planners, field technicians, operators, and engineers – a complete team with top tier technology and years of practical experience in the field. Buckner was established in 1947 in Graham, N.C., as CP Buckner Steel, by Clyde Preston Buckner to install reinforcing rods used in large concrete projects. Since that time, the company has grown to employ 220 people across multiple locations and has become the a leader in heavy lift (>300-ton capacity) crawler cranes.
"For nearly 75 years, we have built and distinguished this company – willing to change and adapt for the good of our employees and our customers, always putting the company and its future first," said Doug Williams, CEO, Buckner. "Today Buckner is in a position of strength, and our partnership with Markel adds to that. We gain additional support for our growth ambitions yet change nothing about our approach, remaining the humble, hardworking family we have always been. We are excited to continue as managers and owners of this great business knowing this is the right 'forever' decision for Buckner."
Markel, through its subsidiary Markel Ventures, makes long term investments in high quality companies.
"Through four generations, Buckner has been family owned and operated, serving the complex needs of its customers in the heavy construction industry each and every day," said Tom Gayner, co-CEO, Markel Corp. "When its customers need a lift -- and a heavy one at that -- Doug, Meredith, Michael and the entire Buckner team are there to make sure the work is done safely, swiftly, and in the spirit of partnership, just as you would expect of a business built for the long haul."
Visit Buckner on the web at bucknercompanies.com.
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.