December 2012 - Ellis Vliet, Equipment Manager, Turner Industries Group, New Orleans, LA, has been elected Chairman of the Commission of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).
He succeeds Kerry Hulse, Equipment Manager, Deep South Crane & Rigging, Houston, TX, who led the NCCCO Commission as Chairman for almost its entire 15-year existence.
Vliet has been an active participant in the development of CCO certification programs since 1999 and was appointed to the Mobile Crane Practical Exam Management Committee in 2001, becoming Committee Chairman in 2010. He has also been involved with Commission activities since 1999, and was elected a Commissioner in 2003.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Ellis to the highest elected position on the Commission,” said NCCCO Board of Directors’ President, Thom Sicklesteel. “I haven’t the slightest doubt he will build on the extraordinary legacy left by his predecessor in leading the NCCCO Commission to new heights of achievement in its pursuit of its crane safety goals.”
Vliet took up office at the close of the 33rd Biannual Commissioners’ Meeting held in Houston, TX, in October. His initial elected term is three years.
“In my own experience, I have seen what safe crane operation and increased education in the construction field can do to improve company safety performance, insurance rates, and a better trained workforce,” Vliet explained. “My motivation for seeking this leadership position within NCCCO drew on the positive change that CCO certification has brought about across the industry, and which I have personally witnessed during my career.”