Growing a Company and Giving It All Away (Interview w/ Alan Barnhart)

On this episode, Alan Barnhart shares why he and his family decided to give away their massive company from the moment they started building it. Alan Barnhart is the CEO of Barnhart Crane & Rigging, which is in the business of moving heavy stuff … stuff that’s hundreds and thousands of tons ... not on 18-wheelers but on 150-wheelers in some cases. Barnhart Crane & Rigging has grown to be one of the largest Heavy Lift and Heavy Transport organizations in the United States with more than 40 locations across the country and a nationwide reputation for solving problems. Alan, Eric, and their families decided to give 100% of their highly successful business to charity to keep wealth from taking over their lives. About 50 percent of all company earnings are donated immediately to charity. The remaining 50 percent is used to grow the business, and in 2007, they gave the entire company to National Christian Foundation. Though they still run its daily operations, the brothers will never reap its accrued value; they keep none of it. Alan and his wife, Katherine, have six children and reside in Tennessee.