The Caldwell Group Inc. has welcomed two new manufacturing representative firms to the team, HARDU and Mocker & Associates.

HARDU and owner Jim Harkins are well-known in the lifting industry, as Harkins worked as a product advisor for I&I Slingmax for 24 years and prior to that, spent a decade as a service manager at Northeastern Crane & Hoist.

He is based in Milford, Massachusetts, United States and has spent more than 35 years in the industry.

“Caldwell has been providing lifting solutions for me for my whole career so I couldn’t be happier joining the team as a manufacturer’s representative. It feels great knowing that I am working with the best, the brightest and the nicest people,” he said.

“I love this industry and love helping distributors and their customers find the best lifting solutions.”

Mocker & Associates, founded in 1974, is based in Chesterfield, Missouri, and is a manufacturer’s representative for Caldwell and a variety of other manufacturing companies covering Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Arkansas.

‘Putting our customers first is our main priority. This is why we only align with vendors who do the same. We value our relationships and have some of the longest-lasting partnerships in the industry’, is its company mantra.

Ryan Bryzeal, sales engineer, Mocker & Associates, said: “We take on a hands-on approach walking customers through the process—from specifying the correct product, to assisting with installation and training, to continual customer service and support.”

Based in Rockford, Illinois, Caldwell provides a full offering of below-the-hook lifting equipment for users across the globe including lifting beams, sheet lifters, coil grabs, beam grabs, Renfroe lifting clamps, and RUD lifting points. Specialty equipment for mill duty use, vacuum lifters, load rotators, fork truck attachments and more are also available.