(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlas Crane Service, Inc., today (Thursday) announced its expansion to a new 15,000 square foot shop/storage building and 10 acres of outdoor storage in Atlantic, according to information provided by the company. According to Cory Dauner, Branch Manager, in January, Atlas (headquartered in Aurora, Illinois), purchased the spec building and land on Glacier Road just north of Atlantic, from Atlantic Community Development, LLC, .

Founded by Zach Prentis in 2009, Atlas is completing its 13th year in business providing a wide variety of crane services. It has a fleet of approximately 70 cranes for hire. This includes all-terrain, rough terrain, crawler, truck, carry-deck and mini cranes. “Whatever size and type of lifts a customer needs, we have the right crane for the job,” said Prentis, the current President of the Company.

Cory Dauner says Atlas’ recently opened branch in Atlantic has enhanced the company’s reach and responsiveness to customers in the Plains States. “The location, halfway between Des Moines and Omaha fits the company’s strategy to better serve its growing number of customers in the Upper Midwest,” he said. President Prentis says “We serve a rapidly growing group of customers in this region. Establishing a branch here lets us be more responsive.” The Iowa location is Atlas’ third location with facilities in Aurora and Peru, Illinois.

At a meeting of Atlantic Community Development, Dauner shared that the hope of the company is to have 65-70 cranes on hand at any one time and draw skilled labor from approximately 30 to 60 mile radius. Within 18 to 24 months the goal of the company is to have 20-25 employees based out of Atlantic, all positions well-compensated.

(Background on Atlantic Community Development: Atlantic Community Development, LLC, was formed in 2003 by a group of 9 local individuals and businesses to bring new, good-paying jobs to the community and strengthen Atlantic’s tax base, according to Dave Chase, Secretary of the LLC. He said the group developed a capital base of around $600,000 from its members to acquire land and construct spec buildings to lure new business. Its first project was Business Park Addition, the current home of Ziegler Caterpillar and other businesses. From the sale of the land and buildings in that development the group reinvested the proceeds in the project where the the new Atlas Crane expansion is located. According to Chase, these investments have increased the tax base by approximately $3 million and produced 60-70 current and prospective good-paying jobs. He went on to say the LLC’s membership has increased to 31 members and is looking for its next project. “The mission is solely the improvement of the economy of the community,” he said.