Greg Brown Joins Crane Industry Services Staff as Crane Inspector and Trainer with Background in Entertainment Rigging
July 15, 2019—Crane Industry Services, LLC (CIS) announces that Greg Brown has joined the staff as a Crane Inspector, Trainer and Practical Examiner. Brown is a U.S. Navy Veteran who, in his words, ”truly enjoys climbing on equipment and structures.” Brown brings with him impressive skills and experience from the entertainment rigging sector, as well as his military training, says Debbie Dickinson, CEO of CIS. He has experience in rigging and hydraulics, working with cranes, forklifts, and other equipment used in the construction and entertainment industries.
There is a great need for equipment inspections in the entertainment industry, says Brandon Bowling, with United Rentals Sports & Entertainment Division. Bowling rents equipment such as high-reach forklifts and boom lifts to studios which rig cameras and lights to the machinery. He says safety is as crucial to the entertainment industry as it is to the construction sector. “All the major studios—Sony, Disney, Warner, Universal, Paramount—require inspection and extensive operator and rigger training. Studios do unbelievable special effects and stunt work. Cranes help get the job done. Before they do any of that, they have an inspection service like CIS go over the equipment and make sure every one of those people is qualified to do what they’re trying to do.”
Brown is an NCCER-Certified Instructor, a Mobile Crane Examiner, an Assessment Coordinator, and a Curriculum Performance Evaluator. His background is in concert stage construction, and the similarities to vertical construction lie in the rigging involved, he says. “On the music side, you raise objects, like speakers and lights, and leave them there for the show. Then you bring them down. With cranes, you’re moving materials to where they’re needed on a job site or on a building. The rigging principles are much the same.”
If you would like to schedule training, or to have one of our qualified crane inspectors come to your place of business, contact Fred Robinson at 770-783-9292 or Fred@CraneIndustryServices.com. Greg is also available at Greg@CraneIndustryServices.com
