Memphis-based Barnhart Crane & Rigging has bought longtime Spokane Valley-based Hite Crane & Rigging Inc., and has converted the company name to Barnhart, says Chris Teague, a Barnhart spokesman based at the company’s headquarters.

The new Barnhart branch is operating at the Hite location at 17515 E. Appleway, where it occupies a 16,000-square-foot building and an equipment yard on nearly 3 acres of land.

Teague declines to disclose the terms of the transaction.

Barnhart has retained all of Hite’s employees and has hired three more employees during the transition to bring the total workforce here to 16, he says, adding, “The current plan is to grow where we can.”

Hite was founded here in 1969, providing hoisting and rigging services throughout the Pacific Northwest with a fleet of hydraulic and conventional cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 10 to 440 tons. Hite had long specialized in steel erection, industrial maintenance, precast concrete, bridge building, heavy equipment hauling, and demolition services.

The company also provided crane inspection and repair services and crane rentals.

Teague says the acquisition will enable Barnhart to serve Hite’s customers while offering a broader range of services.

“There’s a lot going on in the Spokane area, from renewable energy projects to infrastructure,” Teague says. “That’s part of the reason we wanted to be there.”

Barnhart has 25 branches nationwide, four of which are located west of the Rocky Mountains, including one other Washington state branch in the Tri-Cities. Most of Barnhart’s branches are located in the Southeast region of the U.S.

Barnhart claims it has one of the largest crane equipment inventories in the U.S. with cranes that can lift up to 1,760 tons. It also has hydraulic modular trailers for heavy transports.