Here’s a quick update as we just passed the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene here in the Asheville area.
I was active with video work frequently over the 6-8 months following the storm, posting to my YouTube channel on Helene recovery. As our recovery in the region has progressed since then, I’ve found that the need for information sharing in the style I was delivering has also changed.
My intention was to continue in a similar fashion and begin to put a focus on local businesses. By highlighting local companies and stories of interest, I was hoping to drive interest, commerce and recovery.
At the same time, I was active with clean up and recovery work in the region, and found a greater need for hands-on participation. Through that work, I quickly encountered the bottleneck that manpower simply can’t overcome – sheer weight.
Literally. Picking up, moving and transporting heavy items has been a challenge for recovery effort.
Specialty equipment like excavators and skid steers have been deployed en mass across the region for a year now, but their presence is starting to wain. And while heavy equipment continues to be available, it’s not always the right solution.
And so, to continue my work with local companies and recovery efforts, I’ve launched a new venture.
Up! Up! Lifting is an Asheville area crane service and trucking company that specializes in lifting and transporting heavy items. Our first platform is a crane truck – a 16 foot flatbed with a truck-mounted knuckle boom crane. We’ll fill the gap where onsite heavy equipment, like excavators, skid steers and forklifts, may not be available onsite to lift and load materials.
In addition to serving local industries–construction, building material supplies, landscaping supply, precast concrete, utilities, equipment rental, junk removal–we will be dedicating time to continue volunteer recovery work.
I’m very excited about this development, though launching a new venture brings with it all of its own risks and challenges. I’m hoping and Praying to find a launch path for the business that allows us to stabilize quickly and continue serving local communities.
Our commercial crane services and trucking, along with community service efforts, will be focused on the following Asheville area towns: Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Old Fort, Fairview, Gerton, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, Arden, Fletcher, Candler, Asheville, Weaverville, Brevard, and the surrounding communities.
Thank you for your continued support, with a especial call out to those that provided financial support for me to stay out in our communities reporting on storm impact and recovery. All of your support has helped to inspire and pave the way for this new long-term effort.
Please stay tuned. More videos will be coming as my time frees up around launching this business. Until then..
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might
Ecclesiastes 9:10
