Our History
In the mid twentieth century, three decades after emigrating to the United States, Louis Olori took a leap of faith, founding Olori Crane Service in Rockland County, New York.
Luigi (Louis) Olori emigrated from Ascoli Piceno, Italy in 1920 at the age of ten. Landing in Haverstraw New York, Lou worked in the brick yards on the banks of the Hudson as a young boy, and as a young man was a heavy equipment operator, eventually joining the Operating Engineers Local 825. Lou married the love of his life, Catherine, and together they started their family. In 1950, at the age of forty, Lou purchased his first piece of equipment, a crane mounted on a chain drive Mack Truck. With his anchor Catherine at his side, and fueled by grit, determination and hard work, Lou was off in pursuit of his American Dream.
Rockland County was largely undeveloped in those days, farmland filling acres between the small residential communities. The Tappan zee Bridge had yet to be built; construction started in 1952, and was completed in 1955, spurring tremendous development in Rockland. Perfect timing for Olori, the company dovetailed that growth, and as the company grew so did the family; Lou and Catherine were blessed with five sons and a daughter. Each of the boys joined the business as they came of age. Growing up surrounded by the construction industry, the boys knew their way around equipment and all were members of the Operating Engineers. Ken, the youngest, became an architect, working in New York City but maintained an interest in the business, as Lou would have it no other way. Lou Jr., Ron, Bob and John would stay with the business. Each found their niche, supporting the business as it grew, with Bob and John diversifying services to feed the expansion.
While Lou did not have much formal education, he was a very smart man. He spent years imparting wisdom to his sons about business, and about life. It boiled down to some simple principles; work hard, understand the needs of your customer and strive to meet them, provide quality equipment and employ personnel that are the best in their field. With that in hand, make sure your customers get the best service you can offer. Lou was able to watch his business and his family flourish. Into his Golden years, he retired, confident that his business was in the capable hands, happy that his grandchildren began to join the family business and proud of his legacy.
In August of 1994 Lou passed away. The Oloris lost their founder and patriarch, but while profoundly saddened at the loss, it did not slow progress. In 1996 the Oloris formed OCS Industries, the diversification that Bob and John had nurtured, contract rigging and stone quarry installations coming under that umbrella. In 2000 Olori High Reach was founded, further expanding offerings to include man-lift and forklift rentals.
In 2005 the businesses saw a restructuring. Lou Olori, Jr. was retired. Bob and John Olori separated from Olori Crane and took complete ownership of OCS Industries, wanting to expand and take the company in new directions. Ron Olori, Sr. remained with Olori Crane along with his children, Lisa Olori-Bruno and Ron Olori Jr. Both had worked with the company for more than fifteen years, and with the restructuring became principles.
The years that followed were challenging for Olori Crane; losing the diversity of business meant less stability, a loss felt keenly during the housing crisis of 2008, and the recession that followed. Rockland County was now fully grown, a suburb without much industry leaving little room for development and few opportunities for crane work.
Growth this time around came with a different perspective. It was to expand the fleet in search of a wider scope of work, and to stretch geographically.
The fleet of cranes consisted of rough and all terrains, lattice boom and mobile truck cranes. The largest machine in the fleet was a 175-ton. To broaden the scope, the company purchased two crawler cranes, and replaced the 175-ton with a 300-ton Liebherr LTM 1250. It was a milestone, and one the Oloris hoped would pay off.
While the company had always serviced the Lower Hudson Valley, much of their work centered in Rockland and Orange Counties. In 2011 Olori Crane purchased Royal Crane Rentals, a competitor based out of Pleasant Valley New York. This created a foothold in Duchess County and the surrounding areas. With expanded territory and capacity Olori Crane was poised for a bright future.
In the years following, the company celebrated yet another highlight when Ron Jr.’s children, Justin and Julianne joined the family business. Particularly for Ron, Sr. it was a point of pride, and much joy, that his grandchildren were the fourth generation to work at this business that was his lifeblood.
When the industry rebounded, and construction revved up, the company finally saw the growth and prosperity it had been working toward. Olori Crane enjoyed several good years, until the Pandemic upended the world.
In March of 2020 Ron Olori Sr. passed away. Lisa Olori-Bruno became President, Ron Olori Jr remained vice president and Justin Olori was named as corporate secretary.
Four generations of the Olori Family have left their mark at Olori Crane Service. Over the course of seventy-two years much has changed; what remains the same are the values that have been passed down through those generations. Integrity, work ethic, a commitment to community and to customers.
