Crane Group

12/16/2025

She’s the director of first impressions. The expert keeper of calendars. The heart and soul of Crane Group.

Now, after 46 years, Office Manager and Executive Assistant Terri Kline Fasold is retiring from the company where she spent her entire career. Hired at 18, Terri still remembers typing her first letter in Microsoft Office and calling over Jim and Bob Crane. “You have to see this,” she said. “You can make changes as many times as you want!” Thankfully, Terri always stayed the same.

Thank you, Terri—and congratulations!

12/09/2025

As Tanny Crane prepares to pass the CEO torch at year’s end, she is reflecting on 38 years at Crane Group with a note to the company she loves.

“What an honor—and what a ride,” she writes. “As I prepare to pass the torch to the fourth generation, I am filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity to lead this business. Gratitude for a family that supported me in immeasurable ways, whether from inside or outside our offices. Gratitude for the incredible team members who made every success possible and every challenge an opportunity. And gratitude for every person and partner along my journey.”

Thank you, Tanny, for leading us as you have—with integrity, with wisdom, with courage, with passion, and with excellence.

Read Tanny’s full letter here: https://cranegroup.com/dear-crane-group-i-am-filled-with-gratitude/

02/11/2025

We’re proud to welcome Brian Westwater and Tally Wolff to the Crane Group Board.

As fourth-generation Crane family members, they’re turning legacy into leadership. These new board members bring fresh vision to shape our future, while staying true to our core values of respect, family, and community.

12/20/2024

If giving feels good, we’re feeling great. What a joy to support the Barack Recreation Center’s annual holiday party! Team Crane helped serve meals and give gifts—among other fun—at this Columbus Recreation and Parks Department community center. Happy holidays, all!

12/18/2024

Congrats to Screen Machine and Diamond Z for making Equipment Journal's Top 5 Acquisitions of the Year! Well-deserved recognition for the teams that made it happen.

Throughout the year, the heavy equipment industry in North America recorded numerous acquisitions of companies and manufacturers.

12/05/2024

Strategic planning is always challenging — and always worthwhile. Here, our business and strategy advisor Adrienne Wagner shares five tips on getting it right.

5 keys to getting strategic planning right in your business

11/14/2024

When Mike McRae took his first job leading people, he asked a mentor for advice. “It’s simple,” the mentor said. “Hire the very best people, provide clear direction and support, and monitor the outcomes.” McRae found the advice to be sage, but has added one critical element to his success equation: respect. Here, the Fairwood Brands CEO shares why showing respect to your team members is a win for them and your business.

Respect: A core value and competitive advantage By Mike McRae Earlier in my career, I was given the opportunity to assume the controller position for a large manufacturing and distribution operation. I was grateful for the promotion and eager to test my abilities in areas such as cost accounting, fi...

10/30/2024

170,000: That’s how many meals the Mid-Ohio Foodbank provides *every day* across central and eastern Ohio. This week, for our annual day of service, our team visited MOFC to learn and give. Matt Habash of MOFC, Amie Grubbs of United Way of Central Ohio, and Matthew Goldstein of Besa shared stories of community need—and how businesses and individuals are helping address it. Then Team Crane worked on the assembly line, packing 660 meal kits for seniors. Thank you, MOFC, United Way, and Besa for welcoming us, for teaching us, and for making a difference!

10/23/2024

Congratulations to our portfolio companies Screen Machine Industries and Diamond Z, who are being acquired by Metso Corporation.

Metso is a Finland-based global leader in the aggregates, minerals processing, and metals refining industries focused on sustainability.

We consider this sale a moment of shared success and an opportunity to celebrate 11 years of great work together.

The SMI and DZ teams have achieved many wins during our partnership, including these:

• Technology advancements: We upgraded technologies to make production and inventory management more efficient and strategic. We implemented those same improvements at DZ when SMI acquired the company in 2019.
• Capacity expansion at DZ: We added a 22,000-square-foot building to the DZ production site, increasing its capacity by over 30%.
• Industry-best culture: We worked alongside both teams to build a workplace culture that draws great employees, even in a tough labor market. Our values-driven leaders, competitive compensation, and engaging culture of continuous improvement have allowed us to attract and retain top talent.
• Revenue and profit increases: We have significantly increased revenue and profits at both companies since 2020.

This acquisition will allow Screen Machine and Diamond Z to benefit from Metso’s global manufacturing and commercial presence. And it will allow Metso to broaden its product offerings and continue its North American growth.

We are proud to have been part of SMI and DZ’s stories.

Congratulations, team—and thank you.

10/17/2024

Just two years into its existence, Fairwood Brands is now among Landscape Management magazine’s Top 40 firms. Great to see Fairwood’s CEO Mike McRae in this story talking about putting people first. “I would advise (others) to find a niche within this large and broad industry and focus intensely on people—your employees and customers,” McRae says. “Growth will follow.”

This business model helped Fairwood Brands reach No. 39 on the 2024 LM150 list, and they experienced a 96-percent increase in revenue from 2022 to 2023.

09/24/2024

Who are we? The 3rd place tug-of-war team at this year’s Community Cup—and proud of it! The Community Cup is an adult field day by the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. It touts itself as the most fun you’ll have with your colleagues all summer. And it lived up to its promise. Team Crane—which included leaders from our Columbus HQ and our portfolio company Crane Renovation Group — competed against other companies in several events, from a race and obstacle course, to dodgeball and putting. We didn’t come home with the trophy, but team-building has never been more joyful. Bravo to all of the participants, and congratulations to our own Randy Boring, who placed first in his age bracket in the 5K!