Crane Inspection & Certification Bureau (CICB) announced today that it has acquired East Texas Crane Academy (ETCA), bringing together some of the crane and lifting industry’s finest trainers. The acquisition fits well with the expansion of CICB’s Houston operations, focusing on providing the highest-quality safety training and certification programs. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
CICB’s CEO Craig Epperson said the acquisition of East Texas Crane Academy is a strategic move designed to expand CICB’s footprint in Texas and facilitate continued growth.
“Acquiring a high-quality training operation like East Texas Crane Academy accelerates our expansion, strengthens our team, and continues our goal of being the national leader in crane and rigging education,” said Epperson. “The professionals at ETCA are also a great fit for CICB culturally, sharing our deeply held commitment to safety and service.”
The merger now makes CICB the leader in providing training and testing for those needing their certification from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) in the Gulf Coast Region of the U.S.
Joe Bob Williams, President of East Texas Crane Academy said, “CICB has a reputation of providing only high quality training services to the crane and lifting industry, and our relationship with the management team goes back more than 15 years, which made our decision to combine forces with them, very easy.” Williams continued, “We are excited to become part of the great team at CICB, and I am confident that our relationship with CICB will continue to provide our customers with services that are second to none in the industry.”
The transaction marks the second expansion CICB has completed in the last 90 days. In June, CICB became the first and only approved career school by Texas Workforce Commission Division of Career Schools and Colleges, to train individuals as crane operators, riggers, and signal persons in the Houston area. This ambitious initiative is designed to address the demand from the construction, oil & gas, chemical, aerospace and manufacturing industries for professionally trained workers.
About CICB:
The goal of CICB’s inspections and training programs are to reduce accidents and injuries; increase worker skills, productivity and morale; achieve regulatory, best practice and corporate compliance; lower maintenance costs; increase reliability of equipment: and increase the life of the equipment. CICB, headquartered in Orlando FL since 1969 with a second training facility in Houston TX, offers scheduled training programs or customized on-site training at your facility. CICB also provides training and inspections internationally.
The professionally trained instructors and subject matter experts at CICB are not only NCCCO Certified as Mobile, Overhead & Articulating Cranes Operators, but they are also CCO Certified Riggers, Signalpersons, Lift Directors and Crane Inspectors. All of CICB’s trainers are NCCCO accredited Practical Examiners; they have distinguished themselves by earning the prestigious Top Trainer Award in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2009.
To learn more about CICB, visit their website at http://www.cicb.com
