High Mark Crane & Rigging Celebrates 10 Years
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By Nerissa McNaughton
ike most entrepreneurs, Scott Dodds wanted to run his own company, so he created one that would metaphorically and physically reach for the sky. “I wanted to own my own company and I was in the crane business,” smiles the company’s president and founder. “I didn’t struggle with the thought of whether or not to start the business. It just seemed like natural progression.” That natural progression came into fruition 10 years ago as H&H Crane Edmonton Ltd. “We wanted more,” explains Dodds of how the name went from H&H Crane to High Mark two years ago. The “more” being a name that truly represented the brand, their commitment to their customers, and their niche specialty of working with powerlines. The words “high mark” could not be more apt in summing up the goals, drive and experience of the company. “It started out with just me and one other operator,” he remembers. “We went from two cranes lifting residential trusses and we progressed to three cranes. That is when I did my first powerline job. We moved on to our fourth and fifth cranes primarily working in the city doing trusses, commercial work and powerline jobs. In 2008 we started working more and more with the powerline industry and moved away from focusing on city work.” It may sound like smooth sailing from the get go, but like many companies, the economic downturn in the early 2000s affected the young company. “In 2007 I was basically going broke,” the Dodds grimaces. “Residential development was crashing and powerline was just starting to increase.” In what seemed like the perfect timing to many, Dodds had an acquisition offer on the table. “They were going to buy us out but I knew it was going to be a bad deal. I called off the deal I was about to make.” To many outsiders, backing away from a sure deal when the future of the company was at stake seemed risky at best and foolhardy at worst, but Dodds knew it wasn’t the right move for High Mark. With the utmost concern for his customers and staff in mind, he believed in himself, his company, and his product. “I listened to my gut. I took a huge risk, called off the deal and decided to proceed ahead [on our own] but I didn’t know, at that time, that I was going to do a job for ATCO four months later. His instincts were right. The ATCO job turned out to be a large venture with ATCO Energy and AAEBGL in Red Earth, Alberta. “We supplied all the cranes for that project and when we completed it, I knew then that we would be able to succeed. That was our first really big success,” he smiles. Despite making an agile – and correct – move, those moments of uncertainly left a lasting impression. “I listened to my gut. I took a huge risk and High Mark Crane & Rigging • 10 Years • Page 1 79