A Shelton-based crane rental company plans to relocate to Derby by the end of the year.
A‑Quick Pick Crane Service will build a crane storage warehouse and office building on about 3 acres off Water Street in Derby, according to part-owner Scott Schrade.
Derby officials said the move means new life for a long- unused property in Derby.
The Move
Schrade owns A‑Quick Pick with his father, uncle and brother. They currently operate the business using three different properties on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton.
The new location will provide one location for storage and offices and allow A‑Quick Pick to grow when the economy recovers, Schrade said.
A‑Quick Pick has received approvals to construct the two buildings and plans to start digging the foundation in two weeks, Schrade said. He said the family decided to purchase the Derby property because of the location.
“The easy access to Route 8 puts us in New Haven in a half hour, in Waterbury in a half hour, in Bridgeport in a half hour,” Schrade said. “You can’t get better access to Route 8 than right here.”
A‑Quick Pick has 35 employees and 24 cranes, Schrade said. If the economy improves, the company could expand and hire new people, according to Schrade.
The company held an official “groundbreaking” with Mayor Anthony Staffieri Thursday morning.
A Google image of the property.
Staffieri said the plans have been in the works for a few years. The city is happy to bring jobs and more tax revenue.
“This new development will really help the City of Derby’s bottom line,” Staffieri said in a press release.
The exact tax figure for the business relocation was not clear.
Derby’s Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley said Derby expects A‑Quick Pick to bring in about $70,000 a year in tax revenue on its property. She did not have an estimate for how much the equipment would bring in for taxes.
In Shelton, the Schrade family paid $12,360 in property taxes last year, according to the tax collector’s office. The amount paid for the equipment was not available.
PHOTO: Jodie Mozdzer Derby corporation counsel Joseph Coppola stands in the open space where A-Quick Pick plans to erect two new buildings.
The Schrade family bought the land in 2009 for $1.2 million, in a partnership with Mike Tracz, owner of Tracy’s Auto Body Shop. A message seeking comment was left with Tracz.
Tracz is renovating an existing 8,000 square foot building on the land, according to O’Malley.
The property was formerly owned by the Francini Construction Co., Staffieri said. The property previously had construction debris that was cleaned up as part of the development process.
