Throwback 2002: Maxim On Family Plan In Hiring The Hough’s
Maxim News, Spring 2002, Vol. 2, Issue 4
Above picture: Since Bill Hough Sr. retired in April, he joined his wife Carole (right) and daughter Vikki Loutzenhiser who are among the few family members not working for Maxim.
Although Bill Hough Sr. recently retired from Maxim Crane Works to pursue other interests, the family name is still well represented within the company.
That’s because his four sons work for Maxim. Not to mention a son-in-law and daughter-in-law.
“I always wanted to come from a big family,” said 59-year-old Bill Sr., a crane specialist who had been managing the Erie, PA branch. “It’s worked out very well.” He and his wife Carole have five children and 10 grandchildren.
Beyond Bill Sr., the Maxim lineup of Hough family members looks like this:
• Scotty (son, 42 years old) Oiler/rigger at Erie branch.
• Bill Jr. (son, 39). Chesapeake sub-region manager. Began career as dispatcher at the Beaumont (TX) branch.
• Kenny (son, 38) Rigging superintendent/crane specialist at the Erie (PA) branch.
• Brian (son, 30). Baltimore branch dispatcher. Began career as dispatcher at West Mifflin (PA) branch. Spent four years as crane operator. His wife Victoria is a secretary in the Baltimore branch.
• Joe Loutzenhiser (son-in-law, 37). Erie branch dispatcher. Trained under Bill Jr. and succeeded him as Beaumont dispatcher. Married to Bill Sr.’s daughter Vickey
It was Bill Sr.’s Dad, Thomas Hough, who pointed the family in the direction of the crane industry.
Living on the Hough homestead about 40 miles south of Erie where Bill and Carole reside today, Thomas joined the crane operators union (Operation Engineers Local 66) in 1942. He spent all of his career working in northwest Pennsylvanian, primarily with Masterweld Crane Rental. He died in 1997.
Bill Sr. followed his father into the union 22 years later. A respected knowledge of cranes and operating experience has left Bill Sr. well traveled. In 1993, he spent time in Germany training on a new 1000-ton Liebherr-International to operate it in the U.S. He has worked “up and down the East Coast,” and spent one month in idea assembling four cranes that a government-owned refinery had purchased in the U.S.
“It was 20 miles from the Pakistan border,” Bill Sr. recalled, adding with a chuckle, “I’m glad I’m not over there now.”
The previous year, he journeyed to Taiwan to inspect a 650-ton crane being brokered to a U.S. buyer. “That deal didn’t go through,” said Bill Sr., “and three days after I left, the crane caught fire and was destroyed.”
In filming the hockey movie, Sudden Death, he was the crane operator who held a helicopter suspended inside Mellon Arena, the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “We positioned a 1000-ton Liebherr with a Luffing jib outside the arena,” Bill Sr. recalled. “It was a full week’s work.”
Bill Sr. has been a guiding force in the careers of his sons. “It took me a long time to get Kenny into the crane business,” Bill Sr. recalled. “He was a superintendent for a building contractor at one time.”
“When Bill Jr. took the dispatcher’s job in Beaumont, I told him it was the best position for advancement because a dispatcher learns every part of the business.” The lengthy resume of Bill Sr. also shows stints at the Beaumont and LaPorte branches in Texas.
Despite their far-flung family, he and Carole usually manage to bring everybody together at the homestead during the Christmas holidays and Labor Day weekend. “At Christmas, we all get our picture taken during the candlelight service at Watson Run United Church of Christ,” Bill Said.
“After the holiday, it’s time to go our separate ways and start another year.”
Victoria Hough Submits Winning Safety Slogan
Victoria Hough describes herself as pretty much of a “do all girl” at the Baltimore branch. “I answer the phone, handle insurance and collections… and I’m the secretary,” she said with a laugh.
She also found enough time to submit six entries in the annual slogan contest among Maxim employees and wound up the winner. Her slogan, Safety Depends On you in 2002, will be used throughout the company to promote safe practices through the year.
Victoria, who is married to Baltimore branch dispatcher Brian Hough, received a cash award for her winning entry. Regional and branch safety managers chose 15 entries from among the original 63 submitted. The safety managers then made the final selection.
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