Atlas Crane Service, a full-service crane rental company that primarily serves the wind industry, announced recently that a fund managed by the Infrastructure Opportunities strategy of Ares Management had acquired a controlling interest in the company.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Aurora, Ill., Atlas is a full-service crane rental provider offering turnkey maintenance, repair, and overhaul solutions to over 250 customers. The company’s fleet of cranes provides mission-critical maintenance and repair services for wind turbines. Atlas’ executive management team, led by CEO Zach Prentis, will continue to guide the company with an emphasis on growth, geographic expansion, and a continued focus on delivering premier services and a dedication to safety. Atlas Crane Service also has branches in Wheeling and Ottawa, Ill.
“The investment by Ares marks an exciting next chapter for Atlas, our employees, and our customers as we seek to accelerate the growth of our business and capabilities,” said Prentis. “Ares brings meaningful resources and deep experience in the renewables industry, which we believe will support our strategic expansion in the growing wind sector. Our team is energized by the future opportunities for Atlas and we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting renewable energy generation across the U.S.”
“We are excited to support Atlas’ long-term vision and leverage our combined strengths as we seek to drive continued growth of renewable energy power generation,” said Keith Derman, partner, and co-head of Ares Infrastructure Opportunities. “Zach and his team have built a differentiated business with a strong, entrepreneurial culture, and we look forward to helping them provide critical services and solutions to wind asset owners and operators throughout the country.”
Commitment to a low-carbon economy
“Ares and Atlas share a commitment to accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy, which requires high quality and competitively priced servicing of wind energy assets,” said Steve Porto, a partner in Ares Infrastructure Opportunities. “We believe that Ares’ deep renewables experience will provide Atlas with strong support to capitalize on the significant opportunity in this resilient and growing asset class.”
TM Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor to Atlas Crane Service. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Atlas has a diverse fleet of all-terrain, rough terrain, hydraulic, crawler, and tele-crawler cranes, along with additional value-added services including skilled operators on nearly all rentals, transportation, heavy hauling, subcontracted labor coordination, engineering, and permitting. Prior to its acquisition by an Ares Management fund, Atlas was founder-owned and operated for more than 13 years. Atlas primarily performs mission-critical recurring maintenance, repair – for both planned and emergency break-fix – and repowering of wind turbines. The company also serves non-wind markets in the Midwest United States.
