Heavy Ambition
By Shelly Korb-Gayring Career Journey
Building a Lasting Legacy
The Story of Yellowstone Crane and Rigging
Luke Umfress( R) with his father( L)
Yellowstone Crane and Rigging’ s story started long before the company did. From an early age, CEO Luke Umfress spent time on jobsites, learning the ropes of the business by simply being around it.
“ My dad worked at Burkhalter, and I grew up going to jobsites all over the country with him,” he said.
Eventually, Umfress worked part time at Burkhalter during his school years. Although he was interested in the industry, he initially pursued a different career path after high school, considering a future as an attorney.
After three semesters of college, he opted to transition back into the crane and rigging field on a full-time basis. The early exposure gave him practical experience to the daily grind of the industry, making the transition
Umfress with his son, Preston. into full-time work a natural choice.
Umfress’ early entry into the field and exposure to various roles, such as superintendent at age 23 and a sales position at 25, rounded out his experience.
His focus has always been simple:“ I’ m always looking for a solution, not a reason to stop moving forward,” he said.
Launching With Limited Resources
In 2019, one of the biggest challenges he faced was starting Yellowstone Crane and Rigging with a modest budget.
“ I started with just $ 5,000 and didn’ t want to go into debt or take money from investors,” he said.
This initial constraint didn’ t stop him; instead, it fueled a determination and a plan to save enough for his first crane by subcontracting 100 % of the work initially, marking the beginning of Yellowstone Crane and Rigging’ s journey.
When the time came for the company’ s first crane purchase, Umfress bought a 2013 Grove GMK 4115L, a 115-ton capacity all-terrain crane with a 197-foot TWIN- LOCK boom on a compact four-axle carrier.
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March 2025 • www. cranehotline. com