Bryan Carlisle, CEO of Maxim Crane Works, a crane rental company, retired on Thursday. Carlisle has worked for Maxim and its predecessor companies for more than 45 years and will continue to serve as a member of the company’s board of directors. Frank Bardonaro, chief operating officer of the company, also has departed Maxim to pursue other opportunities.

Michael Kneeland, the chairman of Maxim’s board and former president and CEO of United Rentals, will continue in his role. Maxim has formed an interim office of the CEO to provide ongoing leadership and oversight of day-to-day operations while the company conducts a search for a new CEO. The office of the CEO is made up of Sean Collopy, CFO and treasurer; Don Goebel, chief legal officer and chief tax officer; and Larry Lis, vice president of the Midwest region.

“On behalf of the entire board and Maxim organization, I want to thank Bryan for his many contributions over more than four decades with the company and its predecessors,” Kneeland said. “Maxim has grown into the largest crane rental company in the world, and we believe we are well positioned for the future. We appreciate Bryan’s continued leadership and are grateful to benefit from his ongoing contributions as a member of our board.

“The formation of the office of the CEO will allow Sean, Don and Larry to continue to execute on the company’s strategic priorities and deliver superior service to customers during the CEO search. We are pleased to have executives of their caliber take on these added responsibilities, and we are confident that our customers and employees are in capable hands leading Maxim forward. The board is already working actively to identify the best CEO for Maxim to enhance our market leadership. We look forward to appointing a strong leader who will leverage the company’s broad footprint and multitude of capabilities to continue providing the most modern and capable equipment to meet the needs of our growing customer base.”

“Leading Maxim’s talented and best-in-class team for the past seven years has been the highlight of my career,” Carlisle said. “I am incredibly proud of Maxim’s employees, who work tirelessly every day to provide unparalleled products and services to our customers, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work alongside this team to transform Maxim into the national market leader it is today. After more than 45 years at Maxim and in the crane industry, this is the right time to transition to the next generation of leaders. Maxim’s future is bright and I look forward to working with the rest of the board and following Maxim’s continued success as the company executes on its long-term value creation plan.”