Ascent Lifting Inc. announced Thursday that it has acquired Florida distributor United Rigging Inc.
United Rigging, located in Jacksonville, provides rigging, lifting, fall protection products and other supplies to the industrial and marine markets, as well as customers in the construction, mining, data center and agriculture segments.
Ascent officials said that United Rigging will be combined with the company’s Certex branch in Jacksonville, which would help expand its overall service capabilities in northeastern Florida. In addition to its supply capabilities, United also provides crane rope installation and on-site wire rope spooling services.
“Combining their capabilities with our Certex branch in Jacksonville deepens our presence in the region and supports our mission to be the preferred partner in the U.S. rigging industry,” Ascent CEO Dee Schweigert said in the announcement.
DeWayne Mueller, the former owner of United Rigging, will serve as operations manager of the Certex branch; Jan Mueller will be the branch manager.
Ascent operates 42 Certex locations in the U.S.
“For years, our team has focused on quality products and fast, dependable service for our customers,” DeWayne Mueller said. “As part of Certex, we’ll be able to serve them even better while continuing the hands-on approach that has defined United Rigging.”
The acquisition is the sixth for the lifting and rigging fabricator, which was established by private equity firm Shorehill Capital in 2022. Financial terms were not disclosed.
