About Starke
Nobody was keeping the components and parts on the shelf. So we did.
A few years back, demand was up, nearly every component was a custom order, and lead times ran 3–6 months. Whoever could deliver first won the job. Starke was built to make sure that's you.
How Starke got started
We didn't invent a new hoist. We made the common ones that crane builders need every day available.
Starke was started 2019 with one job: keep the components crane builders use every day, and the safety gear that goes with them, in stock and ready to ship.
We narrowed the lineup to the products that go into nearly every crane system: wire rope and chain hoists, end trucks, crane kits, radio controls, and safety gear. Not every configuration, just the ones you actually order.
Then we built the company around getting them to you fast and consistently. That's why a quote comes back in hours and most items ship in days. It isn't a promise we made up for the website. It's the only reason Starke exists.
For you, it means you can bid the job this week, tell your customer an honest install date, and win the jobs you couldn't confidently quote.
What we do differently
It's not that the other guys can't do this. They just don't.
The difference isn't a secret. It's four decisions, and we made them on purpose.
Most suppliers build to order. We stock the common stuff.
The hoists, end trucks, kits, and controls that go into nearly every system are on the shelf, so "in stock" means in stock.
Most suppliers quote you a lead time. We quote you a date you can give your customer.
Send us the job and a quote with real availability comes back in hours, so you can quote him the same day and get the work.
Most suppliers sell the kit in the catalog. We build the one on your jobsite.
Our kits are standard and the pricing is set. But most jobs need a capacity bumped, a configuration changed, or something worked around on site. We adapt to that instead of telling you to make it fit.
Most suppliers hand you a ticket number. We hand you a crane guy.
You're the one your customer calls when something's wrong. So you get drawings you can trust, tech support from someone who's worked on cranes, and a callback in minutes. Downtime costs your customer money, and we treat it that way.
Partner with Starke
You shouldn't have to warehouse a hoist to sell one.
Most mid-sized crane builders can't stock every capacity and configuration a customer might ask for, and it wouldn't be smart money if they could. So we carry it for you.
Our shelf is your shelf. You quote the job with real availability, you tell your customer a date you can keep, and your cash stays working in your business instead of sitting on a rack waiting for the right job to come along.
You're buying direct from the manufacturer, so there's nobody between you and us marking it up, and nobody between you and us when you've got a question. Your drawings, your tech support, and your straight answer all come from the people who make the product.
You take the job and stand behind it. We make sure you never have to tell your customer to wait.
It has been a pleasure to work with Paul and the team at Starke. They embody the same dedication to outstanding customer service and attention to detail that we do here at Zephyr Cranes. They have always been super responsive, solutions focused, and best of all they deliver a great product. We look forward to deepening our relationship with Starke America and helping customers solve their Overhead Lifting challenges using Starke Products.
From the president
I've sat where you sit, and I built the supplier I wished I'd had.
Before Starke, I spent years selling and managing overhead crane projects, sitting across from the same plant managers you sit across from, working out exactly what the crane needed to do. No two were ever the same. That's the reason Starke is built the way it is.
Our team
This is who picks up when you call.
Not a call center. Not a rotating cast of reps. A small crew that knows the product, knows cranes, knows your name, and knows your projects.
Jane Doe
Shipping Expert
Paul Hershberger
President
Our facility
Get started
Now you know who we are. Send us the job.
A real quote in hours, the parts on the shelf, and a crane guy on the line if you need one. That's the whole pitch. The rest is up to you.