TransWorld Manufacturing’s roots planted generations ago in Las Vegas

Welders’ tools whirred and sparks flashed inside the shop at TransWorld Manufacturing, located along Dean Martin Drive south of Russell Road.

A crew of about 10 cut into the pieces that would eventually become TransWorld dollies, trailers used to move crane parts, destined for North Dakota, California and Washington state.

Watching over the shop was TransWorld President Crystal Dieleman, the third generation in her family to work in the construction equipment industry.

She looked over the measurements written on one of the dolly parts. Things like the distance between dolly axles are critical to TransWorld due to state-by-state regulations on how to move heavy loads so roads and bridges aren’t wrecked by the weight.

The rules and precision needed for manufacturing for cranes can deter some. For Dieleman, 32, it’s part of the job.

“I grew up in the crane business,” she said. “It was high stress all the time.”

Family business

TransWorld is the current iteration of the business Dieleman’s grandfather started in 1946.

Jake Dieleman, a Dutch immigrant, made his way to Las Vegas to work on the Hoover Dam. His job as a “high scaler” included climbing the canyon walls with rope, braving loose rock and high falls.

“It’s basically the worst job ever,” Crystal Dieleman said.

He went into business for himself and operated at the dam, later getting a loan in a handshake deal with a banker friend of his wife, Crystal’s grandmother.

Under his leadership, Jake’s Crane worked on projects like placing the Stardust hotel and casino sign in the 1960s and moving loads for a mining company near Miami, Arizona, in the 1970s.

Her grandfather was the consummate businessman, Crystal Dieleman said. His outspoken beliefs eventually led to local politics, and he served two terms in the Nevada Assembly. He died at age 98 in 2002.

Crystal Dieleman’s father, however, had a different personality. Bob Dieleman, the youngest of Jake’s three sons, was more introverted. He took over Jake’s Crane in 1981.

After her father took over the business, Jake’s Crane continued to work on big projects like Circus Circus. But her father put a new priority on protecting the family’s inventions for moving cranes.

A 1990 U.S. patent lists Bob Dieleman as co-inventor for a vehicle designed to distribute the weight of loads of up to 1 million pounds. It could be used to move a crane from one work site to another, according to the patent.

In 1991, a U.S.-issued patent named him co-inventor of a truck-mounted jeep with a similar role. A patent issued in 2015 details a device he worked on for steering these vehicles.

The other Dieleman sons, Richard and Roger, run Dielco Crane Services. Founded in 1988, the company has worked on hotels, power plants and other buildings.

Construction equipment trade shows often become impromptu family reunions for Crystal Dieleman and her uncles and cousins, she said.

Fewer and fewer

As time passes, multigenerational family businesses are fewer and fewer in construction, said Ron Hill, vice president of Hill Crane Service, based in Long Beach, California.

Founders’ children and grandchildren may move onto other interests or get pushed away by poor economic times.

Hill’s own family started Hill Crane in 1947. Hill and Crystal Dieleman’s fathers knew each other and worked well together. The quality of her dollies has kept Hill Crane a loyal customer, Hill said.

Hill, 40, said he has noticed a generation of seniors starting to retire from the industry, making it important to recognize young people like Dieleman. “She built a product that speaks for itself,” he said. “She grew up around cranes. She understands our needs. That allows her to keep TransWorld on the cutting edge.”

Transition to TransWorld

Crystal Dieleman’s own role in the company came early. On breaks from school, she’d help out in the office.

After college, she led the company’s tower crane dismantling and rigging service. The pre-recession construction boom meant busy times for the business, including work on the monorail at CityCenter.

Construction work stalled after 2007. But the Dielemans still saw a demand for crane component manufacturing, like their trailers. In 2015, Crystal Dieleman formed TransWorld to run this part of the family business.

To meet customer demand, she wants to hire more welders, engineers and administrators. She’s embraced current technology to help promote TransWorld’s services, posting photos and videos from conventions and her shop to the company’s Instagram account.

Her company’s reputation continues to grow with recognition within the industry, including Dieleman making the “4 under 40” list in the April issue of trade magazine American Cranes & Transport.

Jake’s Crane is inactive, but Dieleman is still quick to share a story about her grandfather and her family’s legacy in construction inside and outside the valley. Photos from the past decorate her office. A crane with the label “Jake’s” sits atop the building.

“I’ll never move it,” she said.

Contact Wade Tyler Millward at wmillward@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4602. Follow @wademillward on Twitter.