One year ago today, I started as the Marketing Manager at Crane Tech. Little did I know there would be so much to learn and so many projects to tackle. On more than one occasion I have had my thought processes turned upside down and thought on this anniversary I’d share some of my observations from an outsider who has a new perspective for this industry.
Other than a former employer, who once said that “cranes are my favorite bird to see in the city”, I had truly placed little thought into what it truly takes to build and construct the world around us, and more importantly 
the risks workers must overcome to go home safely at the end of each day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not oblivious to what goes on around me, but having worked in an office setting for 20 years, the worst thing I ever had to worry about was a paper cut, my feet aching from my shoes, or maybe lifting a heavy object and hurting my back. Now I see things differently:
Look there’s a crane! I would have never thought I would be so excited to see a crane. It doesn’t matter where I am; I’m the first one to point it out to anyone with me, unless of course my son sees it first. I try to name the type and manufacturer and maybe one day I’ll even be able to spout off the model number, like some of my co-workers (but I’m not holding my breath). Besides the excitement of seeing a crane, or even heavy equipment (think kid in a candy store) my thoughts naturally go to the site and the work they are doing. I wonder, “What are they lifting? How does that work? Is that crane set up properly?” I think about safety, “Do the individuals have the proper training? Are they working safely? Will they return safely to their families at the end of the shift?”. And, of course I ponder, “If they know about Crane Tech and how I can do a better job at reaching them and the companies they work for“…I wouldn’t be a good marketer if my thoughts didn’t naturally go there.
Respect! I hate to admit this, but since I’m being transparent, I will tell you that I had stereotyped crane operators into an under-educated class of blue collar worker. I have always believed that if you don’t have a degree you need a trade, but had not put much thought into it beyond that. I had NO idea of what was required to operate these machines—now I do, and I wrote an article last March to prove it. My new found respect for operators and those working in the field around rigging and heavy equipment and risking their livelihood on a daily basis to make sure I have working water and electricity, roads to drive on, sturdy buildings to go into, safe food to eat, and technology to work with. I will never look at these jobs the same way again. So I ask you, when was the last time you considered this?
Passion! Warning—here is where I’m going to talk a little about Crane Tech. In all seriousness, I didn’t really know what to 
expect when I came to work here. Sure I knew I’d be working for a company that provided training for crane operators, but I had no idea of the passion that would be involved. There are so many levels where this is evident to me, from the countless hours spent building the courses to the back end processes in place to send and receive materials, the detail involved is mind boggling. However it doesn’t stop when the manuals are complete, the course delivered and the scan cards are returned. The capabilities of Course Builder, the back end database that houses the tests and instructor evaluations, can make your head spin. You don’t spend this kind of time creating these tools and processes when you are not passionate about what you do.
In addition, I heard that it was a complex process for Crane Tech to find a new instructor (and we are always looking) then I had the opportunity to witness a competitor present and their trainer had no field experience. I promptly thanked my lucky stars that extensive operator experience is the first requirement of a Crane Tech instructor, as no one can share the passion to work safely and reliably like a guy who has been there, done that. And I haven’t even touched on the wealth of knowledge that this company has, from being available to answer any technical questions to the involvement and passion with organizations such as the NCCCO, I’ve learned that “Safety through Education” is more than just their tagline, it is truly their guiding principle.
So what’s next for me? As I hope you can tell, I find the material handling industry fascinating. After getting nauseous trying out a crane simulator at a trade show, I can confirm that I have no plans to sit in the seat of a real crane myself, but I will continue to learn the ins and outs of rigging and crane operations. I want to get to know our customers better and find out what you want to know about in order to keep bringing you innovative content through the Hooked On Crane Tech Blog. I plan to help grow Crane Tech’s presence in the industries we serve and gain exposure to those searching for material handling training.
So here we are at the end of my ramblings, hopefully you found my outsider perspective interesting and it made you consider something in a different light. Now I’ll get back to doing what I do best, being behind the scenes of the camera and the content creation here, and you get back to work, but please be safe while doing it!
-Katie
P.S. I’d love to hear what you’d like Crane Tech to cover in upcoming editions of the Weekly Tagline, please leave a reply or email me.
