About Us

Generations of Heavy Lifting Success

Since opening our doors in 1929, Hampton Crane, Inc. has evolved to meet—and stay ahead of—our customers’ heaving lifting, crane, and machinery moving needs.

Nearly a century later, we’re still a family-owned and operated company, combining unmatched service with the latest in heaving lifting, crane, and machinery moving technology. Our team is the most experienced in the business, with almost 100 years since the doors have opened.

It’s our firm belief that anyone can own equipment; it’s our experts that make this company special. We adhere to a strict code of conduct, bring decades of strategic expertise to each job, and still treat each customer like our biggest account.

Logo on their machine | Hampton Crane Service, Nashville 37218

The Hampton Crane Promise

Safety

We are committed to safety and committed to detailed regulation compliance.

Transparency

Our “no surprises” approach to communication keeps you in the loop every step of the way.

On Time, on Budget

We respect your timelines and your bottom line. Period.

Capability

We invest in our own fleet; we always have the right equipment for the job, functioning at peak performance, exactly when you need it.

Highly Skilled Team

No matter what your project entails, our team of experienced experts has seen it all, strategized it backward and forwards, and executed it with precision.

Minimal Downtime

We understand the value of uptime when it comes to production. We take great care to create machinery moving strategies that create the smallest impact possible on your productivity.

Excellence since 1929

A black and white photo of two tow trucks with a crane.
1929

Atlas Hampton enters the service business under the name Hampton’s Garage, providing expert auto repair on 5th and Jefferson in Nashville, Tennessee.

Black and White Photo of the airplane| Hampton Crane Service, Nashville 37218
1939

Stinson Aircraft becomes Hampton’s first machinery moving customer.

Hampton's premiere crane and rigging service.
1940s

Hampton works for numerous manufacturing plants in middle and eastern TN including Genesco, Inc. The company begins using wreckers, wenches, jacks, and greased floors to move machinery.

A vintage black and white photo of a construction crane.
1948

Hampton buys 2 Lorain cranes for machinery moving, but their large frames limited work inside plants with low ceiling height. Hampton put the cranes to use in the Rogers Group’s massive rock quarry.

Crane Building a Dam | Hampton Crane Service, Nashville 37218
1952

Hampton joins a massive 4-year project constructing and installing turbines for Old Hickory Dam, located 25 miles upstream of the Cumberland River in Nashville, TN.

A group of men standing in front of a crane.
1956

Hampton buys four tow motors, increasing lift capacity to 18,000 pounds. The company’s customer base grows rapidly during the post-WWII manufacturing boom.

A black and white photo of the Hampton crane service.
1960s

Hampton increases lifting capacity to 25,000 pounds for forklifts and 70 tons for cranes. The company updates its name to Hampton’s Crane Service.

Hampton Crane large stacks
1970s

Hampton upgrades to hydraulic cranes and increases forklift capacity to 40,000 pounds. The company expands its service area to include Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia.

1980s

The company increases lifting capacity to 600 tons; machinery moving and logistics quickly become the core competence of the business.

A group of men standing in front of a crane at a factory.
1990s

Hampton Crane invests in the most modern equipment available to service the growing demands of the manufacturing community in a global economy; lifting capacity doubles to 1200 tons.

1999

Installed four of the largest bed-section brake presses in North America.

2000s

Hampton Crane continues to increase the size of the company and still owns an entire fleet of trucks and lifts.

April 1st, 2010

Hampton Crane's heaviest lift is 750,000 LBS in Chattanooga, TN.

Hampton Crane Service's owner | Hampton Crane Service, Nashville 37218
June 1st, 2013

Hampton Crane came under new management under new owner, Lance Carney. Lance is the 3rd generation owner.

2016

Facilitated the move of a brake press from Sweden and installed in TN. This brake press was, at the time, the highest tonnage BP.

Hampton Crane Service Building | Hampton Crane Service, Nashville 37218
March 2nd, 2020

Hampton Crane moves to a brand-new 30,000 sq. ft. facility after the original location in Nashville was destroyed by a tornado.

Hampton Crane new loader | Hampton Crane Service, Nashville 37218
2021

Brought cranes back into the business.

Meet the Staff

Lance D. Carney

President

lcarney@hamptoncrane.com

Katherine B.

Head of Finance

Josh Krantz

Project Manager

josh.krantz@hamptoncrane.com

Terry Looper

Operations Manager, Crane Division

  tlooper@hamptoncrane.com

615-613-2081

Ready to talk about your project? Get in Touch

615.256.8733

Lance Carney

President

Hampton Crane family since 1997

As President of the company and grandson of its original founder, heavy lifting is in Lance’s blood. Lance carries on his family legacy at the helm of our ship, heading up management and sales and providing the strategic direction and vision for our growing company.

Lance joined the family business after college, but wasn’t handed the keys to the kingdom. Following a formative solo move to Anchorage, Alaska, he worked his way up through the ranks from entry level to management to leadership. Decades of on-the-job experience at every level of the company gives Lance a unique perspective on the business, especially when it comes to how we serve our customers.

Lance is passionate about continuing to evolve our company into its next phase, growing it strategically to serve our customers where they need us most. He’s also committed to preserving and expanding Hampton Crane’s excellent reputation, which means he’s uncompromising when it comes to the quality of our team. For Lance, working with good people makes our hard work worthwhile.

Lance holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University, where he remains active with the business school as a mentor and intern supervisor.

Outside of his professional life, Lance enjoys fishing, traveling, and snow skiing with his wife and two kids. His chocolate lab, Bear, and Australian cattle dog, Bebe, are always in the picture, too—sometimes even here with us in the office.

Words to live by: Stay Curious.

Tom Carter

Vice President

Hampton Crane family since 1996

As Vice President of Hampton Crane, Inc., Tom Carter oversees just about everything within the company, from sales and safety to personnel management and customer relations. He approaches every touchpoint with our customers in mind, making sure that our internal operations ultimately serve our customers, both in service and pricing.

Though he’s been a part of the Hampton Crane family for decades, he’s always up for new challenges and plays an integral role in helping our company keep up with our rapidly changing field. If there’s a bigger, better machine for moving bigger, better equipment, Tom already knows about it… and he’s probably already made sure we have one in our fleet.

Tom credits his military experience with shaping his work ethic and professional success. He served as a U.S. Army Combat Medical Specialist with five years active duty in Desert storm, in addition to six and a half years in the Tennessee National Guard. Prior to joining our team, he worked as a Millwright for DuPont.

When he’s not working here, you can find Tom tending to his small farm, woodworking, and entertaining friends and family at home. An invite to the farm is a coveted opportunity; Tom describes himself as a “pretty good cook,” honing his culinary chops and trying new recipes with his wife of more than thirty years. He enjoys spending time with his four children and one extremely loved granddaughter.

Words to live by: Do your best at what you do and always help others do their best.

Katherine B.

Head of Finance

Hampton Crane family since 2020

As our Finance Director, Katherine B. ensures that we’re providing wise stewardship over our own resources as well as our clients’ budgets. She handles all things accounting, from balancing the books to equipment acquisitions.

Katherine brings more than a decade of finance and legal affairs experience to the Hampton Crane family, with roles at Turner Broadcasting, CNN, Sony Music Nashville, and Universal Music Group under her belt. She holds undergraduate degrees from University of Cambridge (UK) and Vanderbilt University, and an MBA from the Massey School of Business at Belmont University.

In addition to her professional experience, Katherine is a past recipient of the Nashville Emerging Leader Award from the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.

Josh Krantz

Project Manager

Hampton Crane family since 2003

As our fearless Project Manager, Josh handles every detail of planning and executing projects of all sizes for our customers. The more complex the project, the happier he is; he thrives on tough logistical puzzles and flawless execution. We think of him as our secret weapon when it comes to timelines, processes, and budget.

Like many in our Hampton Crane family, Josh’s professional journey is an up-through-the-ranks story. He started here as a laborer; through decades of hard work and long hours, he built a deep and specialized foundation of experience in rigging, optics, equipment operation, scheduling, and estimating. Knowing each role and function like the back of his hand makes him an extremely efficient and effective project manager, able to anticipate needs and plan with precision. Case in point: because he understands the ins and outs of our projects so well, he coordinated and closed a highly complex move a full 15 days ahead of schedule (and made it look easy). What can we say? When we find talented people, we make it a point to keep them around. Josh is part of the Hampton Crane family.

When Josh isn’t at Hampton HQ thinking about customer projects, he’s thinking about them at home. (Seriously, the guy lives and breathes this stuff). Josh has been happily married for more than 20 years and counts his two wonderful children as his greatest achievements.

Words to live by: Always be honest and upfront with customers.

Terry Looper

Operations Manager, Crane Division

Hampton Crane family since 2021

As an Operations Manager in our Crane Division, Terry Looper wears so many hats we’ve lost count. He’s actively involved in sales, oversees dispatch, serves as our shop foreman and stays heavily involved in our hiring process. If you’ve worked with Hampton Crane, you’ve likely interacted with Terry somewhere along the way.

Terry brings more than a quarter century of crane taxi experience to the Hampton Crane family. He started his career as a crane operator and quickly expanded his expertise to include dispatch, sales, and management.

When he’s not making things happen here at Hampton Crane, you can find Terry on the water, fishing pole in hand.