INTERVIEW
24
WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE
TO THE ICRANETRAX.COM
SOFTWARE?
Companies and users love
being able to access their
information from anywhere.
It also really helps speed
up their dispatch process
by bringing sales people,
dispatchers and fleet
managers together.
TODAY, MOST CRANE
COMPANIES ARE OFFERING SOME
SORT OF TELEMATICS SOFTWARE. HOW DOES
THIS IMPACT CRANE OPERATION, RIGGING
AND CRANE OWNERSHIP?
The more information companies have,
the better decisions they can make. And
the more sophisticated the telematics unit,
the more information companies have to
make an even more informed decision
on maintenance, whether to keep or sell
equipment and which equipment would
be a better fit for their lineup.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I do not think of it as a job. It is part
of my life and career. We have the best
customers and people in this industry.
WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY?
Treat everyone the way I would like to
be treated: with honesty, integrity and
openness.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING WHEN YOU ARE
NOT WORKING?
I really enjoy spending time with my
husband, Brad, friends, and playing golf.
But my biggest passion is cooking and
having small dinner parties with our
friends. I often joke that if I did not start
A1A Software, I was going to be a chef.
I’m glad I can keep cooking as a hobby
and passion, because I absolutely love
what I do for work.
■
ACT
MARCH 2014
WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF SERVICES OF A1A
SOFTWARE?
We develop web-based business
applications, such as iCraneTrax.com and
3DLiftPlan.com serving the crane and
heavy equipment industries.
We also are distributors for GPS and
telematics units that fully integrate with
iCraneTrax.com. Additionally, we offer
our customers easy, fast and affordable
website development to promote their
companies.
WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING ELEMENT OF
YOUR JOB?
Working with our customers to help
support and train them on our products,
and research and product development.
WHAT IS THE FASTEST GROWING ELEMENT OF
A1A SOFTWARE?
iCraneTrax.com.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST IMPORTANT
ASPECT OF THE SERVICES OFFERED BY A1A
SOFTWARE?
Our website applications help
customers plan better to maximize
their profits. We also offer friendly and
responsive customer service, which
keeps our customers happy. And, we
consider ourselves on the cutting edge of
technology solutions and opportunities.
when she worked for her
parents’ trucking company.
She worked for her parents
throughout college and ended
up managing the operation
until she decided to branch out
on her own.
After a stint working as a
service manager at a Ford dealership, she
found her first job in the crane industry
working as a sales representative for
Compu-Crane. She then went to work
for PAT in sales and was promoted to
sales manager after PAT purchased the
Compu-Crane program. She continued
to work for North Cascade Industrial,
which was the service company that
supported Compu-Crane, all the while
learning about what crane owners needed
to do their jobs more efficiently, safely
and better.
“I have spent all of my working life
in the industrial field, and I have a
passion for helping people in the heavy
equipment industry,” said Weiss, who is
president of A1A. “After spending quite
a bit of time on the technology side of
equipment service, I saw an opportunity
to develop an online lift planning
program that would be easy to use and
replace the current software programs
that were on the market. That is how
A1A Software began. I started A1A
Software and realized a dream I always
had, to own my own company.”
The A1A Software team uses its
understanding of the industry and how
equipment operates as an advantage
when developing solutions for the
equipment industry, she explained.
Weiss, and husband Brad Weiss, attend
all the major crane and rigging industry
trade shows, and A1A’s software is well
known among crane owners around the
world. In February, when we learned
that A1A was partnering with Link-Belt
Construction Equipment for the roll-out
of a new telematics system for cranes, we
caught up with Weiss to ask her a few
questions.
At ConExpo 2014, Link-Belt and
A1A will roll out a new business
management software solution
that combines telematics and
fleet management.
When not traveling around the world
working with crane owners and crane
manufacturing companies, Tawnia Weiss
and husband Brad Weiss enjoy playing
golf and hosting dinner parties.
