Home / Who We Are / 95th Anniversary
In December 1926, CTE was formed with a commitment to support the growth of North Carolina by supporting the construction, roadbuilding, utility and mining industries. Ninety-five years later, CTE has grown to a leading equipment provider in the Southeast, having added material handling and warehousing solutions, truck engines and power generation systems to our product and support offerings.
To commemorate this occasion, we’re giving special thanks to our employees, customers, equipment suppliers and community partners for helping us make this 95 years a reality.
CTE has been innovating since the 1930s and today is creating dynamic new programs like Fast Track to address the labor shortage plaguing our industry since the pandemic. Learn how we are recruiting and training new technicians in an innovative way – in the classroom, in the shop, and in the field with a dedicated instructor and mentor for their entire introduction to Carolina Cat.
The Georgia Port Authority has been a long-standing customer partner for LiftOne. As we reflect on our 95 years in business, and look forward to the future, we are grateful for customers like Georgia Port Authority. We look forward to continuing to serve as a trusted partner in their success.
CTE is made of generations of people who are working together to build and strengthen our region. In some cases, these employees are living out their own family’s legacy.
Watch Joshua Hartsell, a third-generation CTE employee, describe what the company means to him.
CTE Celebrates 95 Years
As the company celebrates 95 years, president, CEO and third-generation leader Ed Weisiger Jr. shares his thoughts and gratitude.
It is a tremendous honor to be involved with an organization responsible for helping build the strength and growth of our communities through our customers’ success.
CTE has grown from our beginning as a small family business to one of N.C.’s largest private companies. With the help of our manufacturing partners, we’ve supported some of the region’s most renowned projects, including the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the interstate highway system, water and sewer projects that contribute to community health, and of course, schools and hospitals. We’ve supported the backbone of the Southeast’s economy – manufacturers, ports, and distributors – by helping critical supplies and staples get to businesses and homes.
CTE’s vision is to be a trailblazing organization that is built to last. On this 95th anniversary, I’m reflecting on that statement and feeling grateful for the fundamental drivers that have gotten us to this point and are critical to our future success.
When my grandfather Leslie M. “Les” Weisiger started CTE in 1926, he understood the need to be a trusted partner. That philosophy has been a part of our DNA ever since and it remains the basis of how we interact with customers, manufacturing partners, communities and employees today.
Our company weathers changing market dynamics by innovating and changing with the times. My grandfather kept our company afloat during the Depression by pivoting the business to sell milk bottle caps and washing powder when equipment was hard to sell. We’ve changed and adapted through a world war, a cold war, a great recession and now a pandemic. We refuse to be complacent.
Finally, I am most grateful for our employees, our customers and our key equipment suppliers – Caterpillar and The Hyster-Yale Group – because they make all the difference.
Our past provides us inspiration and our future is assured and realized by our great people who help our customers succeed and thrive. Because of them, I am more confident than ever when I say our company is built to last.
Ed Weisiger Jr.
6605 W. WT Harris Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28269