In West Texas, a region dominated by the oil industry, women are stepping into leadership and ownership roles. Katrina Mendenhall, founder and president of Spartan Consulting and Safety, is an example.
The company, located off Highway 1788 between Midland and Odessa, focuses on crane training and safety services. According to the company, its mission is to cultivate safer and more confident oil and gas professionals. “I saw the need for in-depth safety training in both general and for cranes in our area,” said Mendenhall.
Mendenhall has worked in the oil and gas industry since 2006, including with a focus on crane operator training. Her career in the safety industry began in 2013, where she operated from a spare bedroom in her home and created a business that prioritized the safety aspects of crane operations.
Her company, Spartan Consulting and Safety expanded rapidly, with support from close friends and family. The business moved to its current headquarters in Odessa in 2018. “We owned the only pink and turquoise cranes!” Mendenhall told Midland Times.
Spartan Consulting and Safety has grown to around 10 employees. It offers on-site crane safety training, project oversight, Safeland classes, and new hire training. Mendenhall also serves as a contract instructor at New Mexico Junior College, where she teaches crane safety and related subjects. She holds certifications from NCCCO, and TEEX, including dual CSHO certifications in Construction and General Industry.
According to Mendenhall, “experience, education and hands-on knowledge” have made her one of a “very small” group of women in the United States involved in crane safety, and “only one in West Texas”, she said.
When asked about working in a male dominated industry, she told Midland TImes, “They respect me and my years of experience.”
Mendenhall and Spartan Consulting and Safety recently sponsored a Midland event for roadside heroes. “This community has done so much for us–I’m so touched to help true heroes in our community,” she said.
