Most of my network here know me as Samantha Charlton, the Events and Project Manager. However, a heap has changed in the last three years so I thought that I would re-introduce myself as Samantha Ind, General Manager (Bawss Dawg) at Blue Dog Cranes.

My husband Ben and I started Blue Dog Cranes in November 2019. We were excited to be stepping out into the crane industry (an industry that Ben had many years experience, and I had none :-)). Ben had an idea to not be another crane company, to do things differently and do what we say we are going to do. Little did we know in a short couple of months the world was going to be turned upside down with the hit of a pandemic, we’d just taken the biggest leap in our life and there was so much uncertainty ahead of us.

I started within the business as an admin support role, I had a strong logistics and organisation background but my knowledge of cranes and lifting was light on. I was searching for my new professional purpose after having my son a year earlier. I wanted to go back to work but my past life as an event manager wasn’t going to work with our new life. So I started as admin support for Blue Dog Cranes.

I worked really hard to learn the industry and learn about the cranes.

In June 2021 Ben handed over the reigns to me so he could concentrate on growing the business and operating the new LTM1060. I’m proud of what we have achieved as a couple, and as a family. All of which wouldn’t be possible without our mini army.

I’m looking forward to sharing more about my journey with you.

“You do you, we’ll do cranes.”