How Pickles gracefully guides retirement sales to success
Set in the heart of East Gippsland, surrounded by rugged high country, national parks, and sweeping forests is a family owned and operated business that is coming to a close in 2025. This year marked the 50th anniversary for Gippsland family business, Cranes Civil & Surfacing. It was also the year that the Managing Director, Michael Crane, and founding director, Patrica Crane, decided it was to be the last that the company, and some of its subsidiaries, would operate. Michael and Patricia made this decision together and after much time and consideration. Ultimately, it was time to end the business on the family's terms, on a high and while happy to close the door together on a wonderful chapter of life. As Australia's leading marketplace for used industrial and civil gear, Pickles will be auctioning a range of quality used items from December 9th to 11th.
The business commenced trading in 1975 and has always been based in Bairndale, with depots in Omeo, Orbost, Cann River, and Sale over the years. Dennis and Patricia Crane took the punt and started the business in earnest after the former was being sought after for small bitumen sealing jobs on the weekend. This led to completing small civil preparation jobs and cold bitumen sealing for around a decade before they invested in small asphalt pavers, which allowed them to add asphalt placement to its services. Then in the early 90s, the company grew again after adding hot bitumen highway resealing and council street works to the service menu. Eventually, Cranes Civil expanded their fleet of equipment to over 400 items, along with the installation of their own asphalt production plant and a quarry to supply asphalt and spray seal. Civil construction and road maintenance was also added to the list down the line, completing a slow but steady incline in services over 50 years, bringing Cranes Civil to what it is today in 2025.
Even though Cranes Civil will close as a large scale, multi-subsidiary business, its humble beginnings and foundation as a family owned and operated company was carried in spirit through every year of operation. With four generations of family working for the business at one time or another, it was a long journey to closure. The business received many offers of buy out over its 50 years that had been considered, but it wasn't until the passing of founder and beloved grandfather, Dennis, that the family decided to switch gears. Shortly after his passing in 2019, COVID-19 arrived and forever changed the way businesses operate. With family health in mind, years of impacted operations and the ongoing underinvestment in regional roads cited as the biggest factors, the decision was made to divest in early 2025. Having built up a huge team of valued employees over the years, the Cranes family's decision to close proved to be especially difficult.
‘We have some absolutely loyal and amazing staff whose welfare has been at the front of our minds in every decision we have made. We are fortunate that as we have divested parts of the whole business to various contractors, they have agreed to take on our wonderful staff along for their next venture.’
Michael Crane, Managing Director
The retirement has long been in the works and there are many moving parts for the Cranes to consider in these final months of operation. When asked about the most important things to know as a business owner when planning to retire, Michael Crane says that ‘asking for help from good firms who can guide you’ is crucial in navigating the mine field of divestment.
For experts like Pickles, retirement and divestment sales are a common occurrence but one that takes a large amount of time and resources to set up for success. As Australia's leading Industrial auctioneers, Pickles has been working behind the scenes for months to ensure that assets are ready to be advertised thoroughly and displayed to a huge national audience of potential buyers.
For more information, head to the sale landing page or view the line up below!
Cranes Asphalting, Bitumen and Sealing Sale
Cranes Asphalting Civil Earthmoving and Machinery
Cranes Asphalting Trucks and Trailers
Cranes Asphalting Motor Vehicles & Work Utes
Cranes Asphalting Earthmoving Attachments and Ancillary Equipment
Cranes Asphalting Workshop, Light Industrial and Site Huts
Cranes Asphalting Salvage Sale
Sales start: Tuesday 9, December
Sales end: Thursday 11, December
19 Nov