There's nowhere to go but up for family-owned CanLift

CanLift is a bit of a surprise success when it comes to the lift business.

Marko Dragicevic went from working part-time painting, then sandblasting at a family lift business. He continued to learn the trade and went on to work on some of the equipment, and then became a mechanic.

Eventually, ties were cut, and Marko broke out on his own. He quickly asked his brother Johnny, who was in real estate, to join him, along with his childhood friend Ryan Fitzgibbon.That was 2008. Because of a market downturn they were able to capitalize on some lift equipment that was up for grabs.

“It was just us and 12 machines,” Marko, 40, said.

Now, 15 years later, they are facing a future that looks promising not only for them, but for any young mechanically-inclined person looking for a rewarding career. They’re always looking to hire whether it be drivers or mechanics. They provide in-house training, which ensures that every piece of equipment will be ready for the job, having been properly-inspected and maintained.

It’s been a lot of hard work, risk and long days, but it has paid off, added Johnny, 47.

They never dreamt they’d be as successful as they are, but CanLift Equipment Ltd. is soaring above the others. They’ve experienced 100 per cent growth rate in two years- particularly noteworthy since it’s such a competitive market.

The business is so successful, the one hurdle they face is keeping up with the demand.

Last year alone they invested more than $40 million into their fleet. Their aerial lifts can be found as far as Windsor, Ottawa and Northern Ontario, with daily, weekly and monthly rentals.

The family-operated business, including more than 1,100 lifts, material handling – forklifts and material lifts and earth-moving equipment (backhoes, compactors, excavators and graders) has been settling into their new 20,000 sq.-ft. location at 4440 South Service Rd., which they moved to just about three years ago. The partners purchased land and built the new building on 3.6 acres of land, close to the highways, and the growth.

The future looks bright, but just as important, both brothers agree they like coming into work each day.

“We have a great team here,” Johnny said. “We all support each other and are very knowledgeable.”

It’s also pleasant for customers who call CanLift to get a live voice on the phone. They have a great team of salespeople with years of industry experience and knowledge who are more than happy to help customers get the equipment they need to do the job.

CanLift services its fleet in-house and on the road as needed. They’ve got eight truck delivery vehicles in Burlington and three at their second location in London, which they opened in 2012.

With scissor, boom, towable, vertical mast and aerial lifts ranging from 12 to 185 feet, they can meet the need of any job; the equipment can be rented, leased or purchased, and all of it can be serviced on-site. They have a large inventory of used equipment for sale as well.

CanLift provides same-day delivery on a variety of lifts, from boom lifts for projects where you need extra height or scissor lifts for tight indoor spaces. They carry several brands of lifts, including CMC, Genie, Haulotte, JLG, MEC, Skyjack, Skytrak, Terex, Snorkel and XCMG.

Clients include manufacturers, commercial and industrial business and even a few residential customers.

Their higher-reaching aerial platforms give CanLift an edge, being able to provide clients with an alternative to traditional suppliers. They also have a large fleet of telescopic forklifts and rough terrain scissor lifts. They provide in-house training for all working-at-heights licence requirements. In addition, they carry lift parts for those making repairs to equipment.

Growing so rapidly, they’ve still been able to attract a diverse clientele and veteran industry staff who have decades of experience.

Take Joe Gould, the director of business development.

"I joined CanLift because of its growth-oriented vision,” said Gould.

He’s worked in a host of leadership positions at similar companies within the equipment and machinery sectors.

He said a commitment to customer satisfaction is what sets them apart from competitors.

They pride themselves on a highly skilled service team, recruiting some even from as far away as Brazil to meet the demand.

“We struggle to find local service people,” Gould said. “We need people in these specialty trades programs.”

The continued growth has them looking to open a satellite location in the Scarborough, Whitby or Kingston areas.

They hired a local recruiting company to search for skilled labourers, but they still find it a challenge finding good employees.