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COVER STORY - June
2006 Heavy Hauling
“When I was in third grade we had to do a school paper on what we wanted to be when we grew up. Mine said I wanted to be one of the biggest movers in the world,” Edwards said. “In high school for the school yearbook, they asked us where we thought we’d be 10 years from now. I wrote that I wanted to be living in Kentucky, have a family and be one of the largest moving and rigging companies. I guess you could say my mind was always in this business.” Edwards is well on his way to fulfilling his childhood dream. As president and owner of Edwards Moving and Rigging, with headquarters in Shelbyville, it’s his responsibility to direct the growth of the family business. He says in terms of size and capabilities, Edwards Moving and Rigging is in the top 25 percent of companies specializing in the transportation of heavy machinery, and one of the top 10 building movers in the country. According to Edwards, 80 percent to 85 percent of his business is in heavy hauling while the remaining 15 to 20 percent is in building moving. He would not disclose the company’s annual revenue. A family affair He says he was always around the business and by the time he was 16, was running his own crew. After graduating from Shelby County High School, and following a short stint at Hobe Sound Bible College in Florida, he returned to Shelbyville and joined the family business full-time. He was 18 years old and now, at 44, says he can’t imagine doing anything else. “I have always loved this work,” Edwards said. “I’ve gotten to travel throughout the United States, and met a lot of unique and interesting people. No day is ever the same and the work is always challenging.” Two of Edward’s four sons have joined him in the family business. Twenty-three-year-old Jason Edwards is in charge of the company’s home moving sales, and 21-year-old Justin is working on a rigging crew. Edwards’ youngest two sons, Josh and Jake, attend Christian Academy in Louisville. Major investment “This is a hard business to get into. It takes a lot of experience and financial investment. The machines and equipment we use are very expensive, which makes it prohibitive for people to enter the business,” he said. As an example, Edwards says the company is spending $1 million on a self-propelled hydraulic platform trailer system. He expects it to be delivered in late 2006 or early 2007. He says the purchase of this equipment will make Edwards Moving and Rigging the only company in the area capable of transporting 1,200 tons. “There is a lot of competition, but we compete by offering a quality product. We don’t try to be the low-dollar man, but supply the best men and equipment available,” Edwards said. “We continue to purchase the most modern and new equipment in the world, conduct ongoing training for our employees, and continue to grow to meet our customer’s needs.” Long-time client Steve Schad, project manager for Nippon Express USA, Inc., a freight transportation company for the automotive industry, said Edwards always has the equipment needed to match the job and makes continual equipment upgrades. “They have always been on the top edge with equipment. Their guys are always very creative in what they do. They come up with a different plan each time they move something,” Schad said. Schad, whose company ships into New Orleans, says there are always a number of logistical issues to work out with each move. “You need to check out sites, bridges, overpasses, work with the various departments of transportation in each state, and get permission from local police. Not every community likes having huge machines rolling through their town. Mark’s people are very good at communicating and getting the approvals they need for the move, and that’s not always easy,” Schad said. Every job offers challenges Often those routes take the company right through the middle of towns – and can propel the movers into a sort of celebrity status. On a recent move of a giant transformer for a TVA project in Tennessee, one town called off school as kids and families gathered on hillsides to watch the machinery roll through town, according to spokesperson Danny Cain. But glossing over details – or letting public curiosity interfere with the job – can result in huge, costly errors in this business. “In his business, one mistake can mean millions of dollars. The machinery is very expensive and customers stake millions of dollars on them. If one piece gets damaged, then the machine doesn’t go together and GM doesn’t produce cars,” Schad said. “A lot of people’s jobs are depending on this move. Even a small mistake can be a big mistake.” Edwards says one of his most logistically challenging jobs was transporting transformers and turbines off river barges and rail cars to a power plant in Wilkesville, Ohio. He said the turbines were very sensitive and had meters on them that told how much jarring they could stand during shipment. Anything over this could mean damage to the equipment. According to Edwards, the transformers were also very sensitive and cost $19 million each. The 600,000-pound machines were moved a total of 19 miles over 27 different bridges and up and down hills with steep grades. Edwards’ team successfully delivered the machines to the plant and set them up on pads ready for use, he said. “Every job is a specialty job and is challenging and difficult in its own way, yet it’s all part of our everyday business,” Edwards said. Edwards’ strategy to grow his company looks a lot like the work it does: Do it slowly and cautiously. “Our long-term goals are to provide quality work, service customers and do our job as safely as possible,” he said. “Growth is good as long as you can continue to do it in this way and with these three qualities.”
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Copyright 1996-2006, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content
is copyright 2006, Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
For as long as he can remember, Mark Edwards has dreamed of building the family business, Edwards Moving and Rigging, into one of the largest heavy hauling companies in the nation.
“We move extremely large, oversized and heavy objects from point A to point B and set them up. We move large historic buildings, multiple-story homes and regular buildings. We also move extremely heavy power equipment, like transformers, generators, automotive presses and turbines. And anything else that fits in between,” Edwards said.
Edwards grew up in the business, which was started by his father, Bill, in 1961. Under his father’s leadership, the company specialized in moving buildings from commercial to residential and historic. It is now the oldest building moving company in the country, according to Edwards. 
Despite the cost, Edwards says there is stiff competition in his industry. It can come from established companies as well as those that are in similar businesses, and change scope to include building or heavy machinery moving. Although these companies all deal with moving and rigging, they each have their own specialty area. For Edwards, that specialty is in transportation. For other companies it may be crane work or something else, he said.