No Tomorrow for Morrow Cranes

The Seattle Times reported last week that cranes -- those big, oversize erector sets that fill the sky in Seattle to build one project after another -- are in short supply. It seems that Portland, Ore., crane supplier, Morrow Equipment, is one of the nation's largest suppliers and is booked solid for the next year. They have 500 at their disposal, even shipping them overseas if the demand is there.

So what's the punchline on this article? That just when you think the economy and commercial expansion is slowing down around here, just look up in the sky and you'll see otherwise. The Morrow crane above is branded with the 2200 sign, which is Paul Allen's 2200 Westlake project, which will open next fall.