Viant Crane DNT Service Center story jump 10-20-2014

Duluth News Tribune | Monday, October 20, 2014
Page C4
duluthnewstribune.com
!Viant
Continued from Page C1
fastest-growing crane company in the country,”
Lemke said.
Its cranes have been
used on Enbridge projects,
Magnetation and Essar
Steel projects on the Iron
Range, the construction of
the new Duluth International Airport passenger
terminal and parking
garage, the St. Luke’s expansion, the new Multimodal Transportation
Center in downtown Duluth and various jobs at
Fraser Shipyards. The
company also has volunteered its services, including moving the legendary
Leif Erikson Viking Ship
from Leif Erikson Park to
safer quarters last year.
The company’s growth,
however, has squeezed its
operations at 5300 Stinson
in South Superior. Office
space is cramped, storage
space insufficient, and
there’s only one bay for
servicing cranes.
“We just need more
space,” Lemke said.
So with an investment
of more than $2 million,
the company will begin
moving its service center
and yard to a larger location next week, a move
that sets the company up
for future growth. Its office
staff will follow early next
year. In the process, Viant
Crane is giving an old railroad repair shop in South
Superior new life.
Viant has acquired the
former General Electric locomotive repair station
and yard on 58th Street,
about one-third mile west
of Tower Avenue and
about two miles from its
current site. The property
had been among the holdings of parent company
Capstan, formerly Reuben
Johnson and Son. In 2009,
the corporation’s real estate arm had purchased
the 15-acre site from General Electric Railcar Repair Services Corp. for
$425,000 as an investment.
When Viant began looking for a bigger location in
2013, it became clear the
property and its 18,000square-foot building would
be a good fit. Sister company RJS Construction is
serving as general contractor in the renovation and
repurposing of the 1970sera building.
The city of Superior,
Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources and U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers
all have been helpful,
Lemke noted.
“Everybody was on
board for reuse of an old
industrial site,” he said.
Jason Serck, Superior’s
director of economic development, planning and
ports, helped guide Viant
through the permitting
and easement process.
“It’s exciting to see a
company that grew right
before our eyes in a short
amount of time, not only
doing projects around the
port but nationally,” Serck
said. “It’s a really good
company. It’s nice to see
that growth. But it’s also
nice to see them moving in
and repurposing a building built for one use, repairing old trains, with a
vision of being able to fit it
Using a model, Viant Crane President David Lemke explains the operation of a crane at the company’s Superior office. Photos by Steve Kuchera /
[email protected]
The former GE locomotive repair shop in South Superior is
being transformed into Viant Crane’s new service and
storage center.
in this community. It just
goes to show that they’re
Viant Crane has acquired the former General Electric locomotive repair shop on 58th Street growing correctly. They’re
in South Superior to turn it into its new center of operations. The 60-by-300-square-foot
making the correct moves
building will be used for servicing Viant’s 45 cranes as well as for storage. A building to
to build that foundation
house the company’s office staff also is under construction nearby.
that the company can
stand on.”
As for contractors in
to their needs. So it’s going
“The staff is excited for time. “We found there was
the
region, renting from a
from trains to cranes.”
the new facility, because
a need locally in the relocal company can mean
Moreover, such efforts
we’re really squeezed
gion.”
savings in cost and time.
add to the stability of the
now,” Lemke said. “They
Starting with a few
That was the draw for
city’s economy, he added.
are excited to have more
cranes, they went from fillNorthern
Industrial Erecshop space. And along
ing the crane needs of sisFROM TRAINS TO CRANES
tors in Grand Rapids,
with it comes a new lightter companies RJS
For decades the sprawlwhich does heavy indusing, ventilation, heating — Construction and Fraser
ing 60-foot-by-300-foot shop
trial and commercial steel
all the creature comforts.” Shipyards to leasing
was used to service GenOutside, the yard space cranes to customers doing erection. Before Viant
eral Electric locomotives
came along, Northern Infor storing cranes and
projects doing heavy conused by Burlington Northdustrial used a vendor that
trucks increases from two struction and projects for
ern and other railroads. To
acres to 15 acres, though
the taconite mines and the was more than 300 miles
accommodate the trains,
initially 4½ acres have
Calumet refinery in Supe- away, said Joe Moosbrugtracks run through the
ger, one of Northern’s projbeen prepared for use with rior.
building. The arched ceilect
managers.
18 inches of gravel.
“They saw that need out
ing rises nearly 30 feet at
“There’s a major advan“Each crane will have
there and paid attention to
its peak.
tage to having them in the
its own designated site,”
it and is growing as a reWork to repurpose the
Lemke said.
sult,” said Taylor Pedersen Twin Ports area,” he said.
building began in July.
“The trucking costs getSales and other office
of the Superior-Douglas
It has largely been gutting one here are substanstaff will move to the new County Chamber of Comted, insulated and given
location when a two-story,
merce. “Viant is a fantastic tially less.”
new walls, metal siding
Like many large con4,800-square-foot office
company, with deep roots
and utilities. Structural
building under construccolumns have been reintion next door is comforced. New overhead
pleted this winter. The
doors, still large enough
staff is expected to move
for a locomotive, have been
in around Feb. 1.
installed. Its 18,000 square
feet of space has been diSEEING THE NEED
vided into a storage area
The full service crane
and a shop. The deteriorental company and its
rated concrete floor will be success wouldn’t have
ground down and an epoxy happened if another siscoating applied, but the
ter company, Fraser
railroad tracks will reShipyards, hadn’t
main, Lemke says.
needed a crane back in
The move will increase 2007.
Viant’s area for servicing
“Companies were
cranes and trucks from
renting cranes from
1,500 square feet to 10,800
Minneapolis, St. Paul
square feet, with plans for and Milwaukee,” said
a 9,000-square-foot addiLemke, who worked for
tion, if needed.
RJS Construction at the
Duluth property transactions
residential, 9/14.
PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS
Oct. 9-16
BANKRUPTCIES
This bankruptcy information is
gathered from cases filed in U.S.
Bankruptcy Court in Duluth Oct.
9-13.
DEBTOR: Diane L. Davin dba Applause Entertainment
ADDRESS: 24 Larch Drive, Duluth
CHAPTER 7
DATE FILED: Oct. 9
ASSETS: $31,753
LIABILITIES: $39,981.58
DEBTOR: Gail E. Peterson
ADDRESS: 2774 County Road 4,
Carlton
CHAPTER 7
DATE FILED: Oct. 10
struction companies,
Northern Industrial owns
some cranes.
“We own about 12
cranes, but they’re busy
most of the year,” he explained. “So we rent a fair
amount of cranes from
Viant. They’re a great vendor. Every time I call them,
they’re always Johnny-onthe-spot. You can tell they
take a lot of pride in what
they do. They’re very
customer-oriented. And
their rates are competitive.”
While Viant continues
to grow, it embraces new
technology. To that end, it’s
investing more than
$3 million in the latest in
lifting technology: a new
Manitowoc lattice boom
crawler crane with an innovative system that can
boost capacity from
330 tons to 450 tons.
On order, the new crane
will be delivered in 2015.
ASSETS: $141,771
LIABILITIES: $76,569
DEBTOR: Donna M. Bunes
ADDRESS: 19854 N. Sherrys Arm
Road, Grand Rapids
CHAPTER 7
DATE FILED: Oct. 10
ASSETS: $654,498.50
LIABILITIES: $760,731
DEBTOR: Jennifer Rose Oertel
ADDRESS: 305 N. Norman Ave.,
Eveleth
CHAPTER 7
DATE FILED: Oct. 10
ASSETS: $55,730.22
LIABILITIES: $90,357.73
Morning coffee and the
D
Duluth
uluth News
News Tribune
Some things just go together
DEBTOR: Loretta F. Krynicki
ADDRESS: 7108 Saginaw Road,
Saginaw
CHAPTER 7
DATE FILED: Oct. 13
ASSETS: $21,283.10
LIABILITIES: $42,622.18
DEBTOR: Brett J. Wallace
ADDRESS: 202 W. Second St., Apt.
510, Duluth
CHAPTER 7
DATE FILED: Oct. 14
ASSETS: $1,740
LIABILITIES: $20,548.24
2502 W. 15th St., Orry Engebretsen
and Laura Alaspa purchased
from Sean and Amy Holmgren for
$135,000, residential, 8/14.
719 N. 43rd Ave. E., Robert and
Anna Heger purchased from
David M. and Sara L. Rapp for
$143,000, residential, 8/14.
14 W. Fifth St., No. 1, JB Properties
of Duluth LLC purchased from
Minnesota Housing Finance
Agency for $61,000, residential,
8/14.
327 S. 71st Ave. W., Ashley
McArthur purchased from Beryl
L. Rodin for $74,900, residential,
9/14.
1122 W. Arrowhead Road, Walsh
Properties of Duluth purchased
from Nancy E. Anderson for
$61,000, residential, 8/14.
5324 Avondale St., Daniel N. Kaiser
purchased from Joshua J. and
Carley Manley for $164,000, residential, 8/14.
1619 N. Basswood Ave., Teron
Green purchased from Richard
and Janis Wingren for $142,500,
residential, 8/14.
201 Crestline Court, David Wilcox
purchased from Cory, Terry and
Jill Stebner for $58,000, residential, 5/14.
14 W. Fifth St., JB Properties of Duluth LLC purchased from Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
for $61,000, residential, 8/14.
2416 W. First St., Zymrie Bekteshi
and Bajram Aziri purchased from
Marlin and Patricia Dahl for
$25,000, residential, 8/14.
322 E. Gilead St., Ryan A. Asleson
purchased from William H. Stein
for $125,000, residential, 9/14.
322 E. Gilead St., William H. Stein
purchased from Robert and Billie
Jean M. Kolojeski for $120,000,
5012 Glendale St., Steven G. Holmstrom purchased from Verlin G.
and Jacqueline Holmstrom for
$75,887, residential, 8/14.
6530 Grand Ave., Kwik Trip Inc. purchased from D & M Johnson
Family Limited for $450,000,
commercial (with buildings), 6/14.
6303 Greene St., Kari L. and Alec L.
Olson purchased from Ryan S.
Carlson for $43,000, residential,
8/14.
450 Hastings Drive, Jan. H. Ranson
purchased from William A. and
Audrey C. Schmitt for $513,000,
residential, 8/14.
80 Howard Gnesen Road, Holly G.
and Luke Mirau purchased from
Alan J. and Gina M. Amatuzio for
$122,000, residential, 8/14.
327 Howard Gnesen Road, Kristina
and Brian Linder purchased from
Clay and Sunshine Carter for
$230,000, residential, 9/14.
907 S. Lake Ave., Matthew Silverness purchased from Patricia L.
and Gary L. Nelson for $110,000,
residential, 8/14.
717 Lincoln Parkway, Kyle Skomars
purchased from Jessi L. and
Daniel Roland for $95,000, residential, 8/14.
705 Lincoln Parkway, Matthew D.
and Kimberlie Dillon purchased
from Andrew and Jami Trenz for
$124,800, residential, 8/14.
2317 Lochaire Ave., Joshua and
Rachel Major purchased from
Mark D. and Dawn M. Moran for
$266,900, residential, 8/14.
5809 London Rard, Melody C. Lovin
and Justin Berke purchased from
Timothy Broscious and C. Roytz
for $198,000, residential, 8/14.
1807 Melrose Ave., Andrew and
Deborah Leedahl purchased
from Jodi Elstad for $173,000,
residential, 9/14.
3235 Minnesota Ave., Molly A. Har-
ney purchased from Matthew J.
Mirau for $354,000, residential,
9/14.
2824 Minnesota Ave., Todd and
Amy Wing purchased from David
F. and Dori L. Decker for
$269,000, residential, 8/14.
1325 Mississippi Ave., Bradley Flynn
purchased from DL and JC
Fredrickson trust for $249,900,
residential, 8/14.
5226 Norwood St., Robert G. and
Diane N. Johnson purchased
from Secretary of Veteran Affairs
for $179,500, residential, 8/14.
2102 Princeton Place, Dianne Dorland purchased from Jane E.
Koenig for $235,000, residential,
8/14.
2208 W. Sixth St., Sara L. and David
M. Rapp purchased from David
and Denise Nord for $152,000,
residential, 8/14.
623 W. Skyline Parkway, Terry P. and
Peggy A. Olivas purchased from
Melissa L. Swor for $104,000,
residential, 8/14.
2320 E. Superior St., Peter L. and
Colleen A. Russell purchased
from Doris J. Rud for $270,000,
residential, 7/14.
5128 Tioga St., Andrew Westergren
purchased from William and Elsie
Kovala for $129,900, residential,
9/14.
425 W. Winona St., Brittany Maag
purchased from Wayne R. and
Rebecca L. Gannaway for
$144,227, residential, 8/14.
715 Woodland Ave., Posa Investments LLC purchased from John
Murrin IV, et al, for $498,000, residential, 8/14.
Residential bare land, Terry and
Peggy Olivas purchased from
Melissa L. Swor for $122,000,
8/14.
Bare land, Jerold and Linda Forsberg purchased from the city of
Duluth for $4,600, 9/14.