Aubrey Amadeo, New Cranemasters COO Explains His Vision to Employees
- Winter 2024
- Aubrey Amadeo
Former Senior Vice President of Fleet Manufacturing and Engineering, Aubrey Amadeo, was recently promoted to Cranemasters’ COO. He unveiled his vision for Cranemasters to our leadership team on in October and outlined that strategy for our employees in the following letter.
Hello Cranemasters,
As I begin my new role as your COO, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and outline my vision for Cranemasters’ future.
Raised by a single mom, I grew up with one older brother in a small Florida town surrounded by a large extended family. Now I live in New Kent, Virginia, with my wife, Laurie. We have two sons and a wonderful daughter-in-law. And we recently welcomed our first grandchild.
I started my professional career at what is now West Rock, unloading railcars, laying out raw material storage areas, and refining complex high-speed production processes. I was ultimately asked to roll out my processes across the entire company.
In 2008, I moved to Lumber Liquidators distribution, where I worked as the head of distribution. There, I continued learning the importance of structure and process and refining my understanding of what it means to be a leader.
In January 2023, I arrived at Cranemasters as Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering, heading our Manufacturing and Engineering divisions. Later in 2023, I was asked to take on Fleet Maintenance. This year, I was promoted to COO.
Our business is rooted in turning chaos into calm, and so am I. That’s why I believe that we need to continue doing what we do well: our one-of-a-kind equipment, ‘call today, there tomorrow’ urgent response guarantee, best-in-class process design, and, most importantly, you—our people.
These things separate us from the rest and keep our customers happy. But we also need to make changes where we’re coming up short.
There are gaps in educating our people, developing our teams, and convincing our customers that we are the only service provider they need.
To that end, on October 2nd, I presented my vision for Cranemasters to our leadership. It’s a simple plan because I believe success isn’t complicated.
Purpose is at the core of any vision. And our purpose is to do what’s right.
I like to say, “It’s not about who is right or wrong; it’s about what is right or wrong.” In short, things become much simpler when you do the right thing.
Aubrey joined the Cranemasters team in the winter of 2023 to help lead the manufacturing and engineering groups and later took on fleet maintenance. Prior to Cranemasters, Aubrey spent 30+ years in a variety of progressing leadership and executive roles in manufacturing and distribution all over North America. For him, the transition to Cranemasters was about working with a tightknit group of exceptional people focused on personal development and solving problems for our customers.
A Florida native with an Aerospace Engineering degree from Auburn University, he’s made Richmond his family’s home and is proud to be a part of the Cranemasters’ Family.
My vision focuses on five specific areas: Safety, People, Service, Cost, and Growth.
SAFETY
The non-negotiable cornerstone of our process and success.
We don’t compromise on safety.
We take care of our people and equipment. We manage by policy, not personality. Safety is part of our corporate DNA, so we keep it front-of-mind with every activity and process on every job, every day.
PEOPLE
The heart of our business.
Our people are our most valuable asset, period.
That’s why we must attract, hire, promote, and develop the right people for the right roles.
We tear down silos and structure our teams for optimal success. We develop our people to promote individuals and resolve organizational gaps. And we don’t tolerate toxic people.
Simply put, we are consistent, not chaotic. And we don’t tolerate chaos from within.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
The other cornerstone of our vision.
We develop customers for life, not for a transaction.
So, every impression must be a good impression.
A customer should never leave us because of bad customer service. We engage, arrive, work, and close out every job at our best. We care for our equipment to keep our crews safe and show meticulous attention to detail.
Safety, People, and Service are all 100% within our daily control. The last two parts of the vision, Cost and Growth, are primarily the result of how well we control the first three.
REDUCE COSTS and GROW
Drive reliability and standardization.
Our daily attention to the details of Safety, People, and Service increases our ability to serve our customers and lowers our overall costs.
However, we also reduce costs and drive growth by proactively standardizing policies and equipment, centralizing purchasing where appropriate, and positioning people and equipment correctly for our customers.
When our costs go down and our business grows, everyone wins—Cranemasters, our customers, and you.
However, to realize this vision, we must all work for it.
I know we can do it. And I’m here for you as we do.
So, know that my door is always open, my email is always up, and my phone is always on. I want to hear from you.
And thank you for all that you do for Cranemasters every day. Cranemasters wouldn’t be the exceptional company it is today without you.
Your hard work and dedication make me excited for the future Cranemasters we’ll build together.
Keep up the good work,
Aubrey Amadeo
