Ad
Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Stepup Scaffolding CEO And Executives Killed In Plane Crash

ADVERTISEMENT

Scaffolding manufacturers and distributors Stepup Scaffolding have announced the tragic death of their CEO Wei Chen and 3 executives.

Stepup Scaffolding a subsidiary of Sunshine Enterprise Inc, based in Scotland and headquartered in Memphis USA has identified four of its employees as victims killed in a plane crash.

According to reports, the business jet flown by Chen plunged out of the sky crashing into a football field in an Atlanta park as it was making its way from Atlanta to Memphis on Thursday 20 December.

Wei Chen, John Chen, Bruce Pelynio and Danielle Mitchell were identified as victims in the crash, according to Stepup Scaffolding President, Mike McAnnally.

Sunshine Enterprise Executive Council Members (left to right) Mike McAnnally, President, StepUp Scaffold, a Sunshine Enterprise Company, Danielle Mitchell Harding, Controller, Sunshine Enterprise, Wei Chen, Founder Sunshine Enterprise, Bruce Pelynio, President, Heli Americas and John Chen, Chief Operations Officer, Sunshine Enterprise.

Sunshine Enterprise released a statement on Friday 21 December.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the most difficult of news. On December 20th, we lost our fearless leader, Wei Chen as well as our COO, John Chen; Heli Americas CEO’ Bruce Pelynio; and Comptroller Danielle Mitchell to a tragic plane crash.

“Our company is grieving, but I have nothing but confidence when I tell you that we, as the team at Sunshine Enterprise, will persevere and will continue to serve our customers in the way they expect — with dedication and with care.”

“Please keep the families of our incredible leadership team in your thoughts and prayers.” The statement said.

Commenting on the tragic news, Andrew Smith from Avontus Software said: “Although they have been in the UK for a couple of years and a relatively young scaffolding manufacturer they were very well respected. Both Wei and John were true gentlemen and an absolute pleasure to work with.”

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

ADVERTISEMENT

Popular Categories

Latest news

China joins IASA as global membership continues to expand

China has become the latest country to join the International Access and Scaffolding Association (IASA), following the China Formwork and Scaffold Association’s decision to...

UK construction growth cut to 1.7% as housing sector weakens

Growth in the UK construction industry has been downgraded to 1.7% for 2026, almost half the figure predicted three months ago. The Construction Products Association...

Rainham, Zenith and TEi join new industrial services group Coriant

Rainham, Zenith and TEi have announced they are joining Coriant, a newly established UK-based industrial and infrastructure maintenance services group. The launch of Coriant follows...

Lawyer doubles salary after switching to scaffolding career

A former solicitor has nearly doubled her income after leaving the legal profession to work in scaffolding. Mollie Pollard, 33, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, joined Attridge...

Scaffold Resource claims back-to-back victory at US Championship

A Maryland-based scaffolding company has successfully defended its championship title at the United States' most prestigious scaffold building competition, held at the World of...

JR Scaffold Services supports restoration of 19th-century church in Houston

One of Scotland’s largest scaffolding contractors, JR Scaffold Services, has completed a specialist access installation to support restoration works at St Fillan’s Church. The 19th-century...

NASC and CISRS to launch new digital platform and mobile app

The National Access & Scaffolding Confederation and the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme are set to move to a new digital infrastructure on Monday,...

AT-PAC Ringlock supports Qatar’s longest zipline installation

AT-PAC Ringlock has been used to support what the project team described as the longest zipline installation ever constructed in Qatar, spanning approximately 200...

Inner City Scaffolding appoints new managing director

Inner City Scaffolding, a London-based scaffolding contractor working across commercial and urban construction projects, has appointed Ben Ramsey as its new managing director. The appointment...

POP UP Products marks 20 years in business

Access equipment manufacturer POP UP Products is marking its 20th anniversary in 2026, with a programme of events planned across the year. The Deeside-based company...

Latest news

ADVERTISEMENT

Magazine

Winter Issue #28 | Past issues >>

Popular

Lawyer doubles salary after switching to scaffolding career

A former solicitor has nearly doubled her income after...

NASC and CISRS to launch new digital platform and mobile app

The National Access & Scaffolding Confederation and the Construction...

Scaffold Resource claims back-to-back victory at US Championship

A Maryland-based scaffolding company has successfully defended its championship...

JR Scaffold Services supports restoration of 19th-century church in Houston

One of Scotland’s largest scaffolding contractors, JR Scaffold Services,...

AT-PAC Ringlock supports Qatar’s longest zipline installation

AT-PAC Ringlock has been used to support what the...

Related articles

ADVERTISEMENTS

Latest topics

HAKI opens new Swiss subsidiary to support regional growth

The HAKI Group has launched HAKI Safety SA, based...

China joins IASA as global membership continues to expand

China has become the latest country to join the...

UK construction growth cut to 1.7% as housing sector weakens

Growth in the UK construction industry has been downgraded...

Rainham, Zenith and TEi join new industrial services group Coriant

Rainham, Zenith and TEi have announced they are joining...
ADVERTISEMENTS