Thirsten Cornelson found his career in the family business, learning cranes from the ground up at Trand in Sawyer, Kansas. After a brief attempt at college didn’t work out, Thirsten committed to hands-on, full-time work, building his skills through experience and Trand’s apprenticeship program. Now a crane operator with four years of experience, Thirsten is helping build up Kansas—one project at a time.
Thirsten Cornelson grew up around cranes his entire life, as his family has owned Trand, a crane company based in Sawyer, Kansas, for generations—his grandfather has been in the business for 40 years and his father for 20. Despite this early exposure, Thirsten briefly attempted college at Pratt Community College but left after about half a semester, realizing that traditional classroom learning wasn’t the right fit for his hands-on personality.
After leaving college, Thirsten came to work full-time at Trand, learning the crane business from the ground up. He credits this decision with allowing him to gain as many hours and as much hands-on experience as possible early on. Now with four years of full-time experience, he has built a strong foundation in the industry, supplemented by NCCER curriculum coursework through Trand’s apprenticeship program, covering everything from core safety basics to crane-specific operations.
Working at Trand, Thirsten is part of a team that handles major projects across Kansas, including erecting and dismantling wind towers and providing crane support for facilities like meat packing plants. He describes the workplace culture as tight-knit, comparing it to a high school locker room where coworkers support one another like brothers, despite the intimidation that still comes with working around large equipment.
Looking ahead, Thirsten sees a few possible paths for his career, whether that means continuing as a crane operator or eventually stepping into a role running the business. For students considering a similar path, he emphasizes the value of job shadowing and getting hands-on exposure early, along with never being afraid to ask questions on the job.
