INTERVIEW | JEFF BRAZWELL


import duties, for example, as long as the rules are clear and we understand them. For now, we are booming – we almost can’t keep up with demand.” Despite his positivity, Brazwell is still realistic. He


In 2021, Brazwell and his colleagues bought out the family who owned Spanco.


Around 10% of the workforce retired, but we dealt with that. Every problem is an opportunity.” In that adversity, Brazwell and his partners took the opportunity to look at every aspect of how the company operated. What they found were many positive fundamentals, and a solid platform for future growth. Coupled with a naturally optimistic outlook and an entrepreneurial spirit, that is a powerful mix.


The power of positivity By nature, Brazwell is a positive and forward- looking person. He has a faith in the future that has been fuelled by the path his career has taken. “My positivity is borne out through my own


experience. Over my career, everything has worked out somehow, even if it was not always how I expected. But one of the jobs of a leader is to see the future, to see where you want to go, to devise a strategy to get there and convince people to come with you on that journey. Unless you have confidence, people will not follow you, so you have to believe there is a better future out there.” Spanco has taken practical steps to adapt


to the changing marketplace. It has embraced technology, invested in educating its workforce,


38 Spring 2026 | ochmagazine.com


reinvigorated its culture and its sales team to provide an industry leading customer service experience and consistently added new products. For example, it was a leader in introducing many fall protection products to the market. That commitment to embracing change will be crucial in the years ahead, as Brazwell sees the industry becoming much more competitive. He expects more companies to enter the sector, and the consolidation of crane builder companies and crane components manufacturers to continue or even accelerate. “In terms of technology, I can even imagine


the merging of material handling equipment with other production equipment like robots as these become more prevalent. And we have only scratched the surface of AI and its transformational potential. And we will deal with whatever we are faced with economically. You have to dance to whatever music is put on. You can’t always change the music, so you have to learn to adapt,” says Brazwell. “The biggest challenge is always uncertainty. No business likes that. Things are somewhat unpredictable now and that is not a good thing because business likes stability. We can adapt to


freely admits that the industry, like many others, faces a potential labour shortage that cannot be fixed overnight. Many experienced workers are close to retirement and there are simply too few qualified younger people to fill the vacancies they will create. There are certainly ways to bridge the skills gap, but perhaps not fast enough. “As a country we could invest more in trade schools at state, local or federal level,” says Brazwell. “That would be a big help. We need to feed more people into the system and that might require an immigration system that targets people with the skills that are in short supply.” For his part, he is working hard to ensure that Spanco has a system of training, both internal and external, that will deliver the right skills to the organisation. The company is partnering with local trade schools and allowing some employees to work part-time while attending training courses. Last year, around one-third of employees engaged in some kind of external training. “If you count internal training, then almost everyone in the company got the benefit,” he adds. “The real path to making more of yourself and making more money is to take on more responsibilities, and we prefer to promote from within and give employees opportunities for advancement.” And therein lies the real gem at the heart of Brazwell’s philosophy, which he sums up as “lifting others up”. In his five years at the head of the company, he and his team have intentionally changed its culture to create a positive environment in which people can grow. He sees his job as being that indispensable link between what others aspire to and where they currently are. For an employee, that may mean teaching or coaching them, or perhaps just giving them an opportunity to take on more responsibility. For a customer, it might mean providing them with knowledge, tools or products to help them grow their business. For a vendor, it could be collaborating for mutual gain. “Whenever we focus on and help others, it is always a virtuous cycle that returns the favour back to us,” says Brazwell. “I have had many mentors throughout my career without whom I would not be where I am today.”


When the leader of the company embodies the can-do spirit that he asks of his colleagues, and consistently models an internal desire to constantly improve and excel, the whole organisation follows. “I expect a lot and have high expectations for myself and all of those around me. I have these high expectations because I believe in others’ ability to achieve great things, and I am here to help them.” That is as firm a foundation for success as you will find anywhere in this industry.


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