Tehachapi News

Community Close-up: RST Cranes does some heavy lifting...

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From youth soccer’s opening day to the first Little League pitch of the season — local sports fans, rodeo queens and Boy Scouts have all saluted the American flag RST Cranes raises for many of Tehachapi’s community events.

Over the past six years, Rick and Sonya Torres, owners of RST Cranes, have volunteered their cranes and staff to raise a 20 by 30-foot flag for events like the 4th of July Hot Dog Festival, Tehachapi Mountain Festival rodeo, the Veterans Mountain Run and Relay For Life, along with various youth sports.

The $1,000 flags suffer some serious wear and tear from flapping in Tehachapi’s ever-present wind, which is why they flag isn’t raised all the way to the top of the crane; they could wrap around the hook and tear. RST has replaced the flag each year so it always looks presentable.

“We’re just doing our part to give back to the community, I guess,” Rick Torres said.

He said he also tries to support other local businesses whenever possible.

“I am sensitive to that, recently more so,” he said. “As a business owner, I know how hard it is to put money into an idea or a store.”

That’s why he gets a little sensitive when he sees out of town cranes operating in Tehachapi.

“If you see another crane operating in town, they’re doing work. They’re getting paid.”

Torres explained that ultimately, he measures success not by profit, but by how many people he can help.

“Our richness is in family,” said  Sonya Torres, the woman who put the “S” in RST. (“R” is for Rick; “T,” for  Torres)

The husband and wife team employ a “Pay it Forward” philosophy, along with a staff of ten who drive, maintain and schedule the company’s five cranes.

Gary Opfermann, manager of the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District, nominated Torres for a state sponsored award, recognizing his “unselfish help in providing cranes and operators to the district at no cost.”

The award was presented at the Tehachapi City Council Feb. 17.

It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure
Flying the flag isn’t RST’s only claim to fame. They also do plenty of work in the community, including lifting the BeeKay Theater’s new sign into place and installing the new Chamber of Commerce buildings. They’ve righted overturned railroad cars, moved airplanes and retrieved vehicles that have gone over cliffsides.

Forbes Magazine lists crane operator among the U.S.’ Most Dangerous Jobs.

Rick once saved a co-worker from becoming a statistic.

Rick was operating a 90-foot crane, assisted by a smaller crane to help guide some large equipment he was lifting into a tight space.

When the smaller crane’s safety strap broke, several tons of equipment could have swung like a wrecking ball in his vulnerable co-worker’s direction, if it weren’t for Torres’ habit of always formulating an “escape plan.”

“People used to ask me ‘why are you all tired, you’re just sitting in a crane all day,’” Rick said. “You have lives at stake when you pick up something heavy. Your mind is running 100 miles per hour. You always have to have an escape plan.”

Both Rick and Sonya said that safety always comes first, and that a big part of their job is determining the right crane for each job. There’s constant math involved, they said.

“Everyone says their job will just take an hour,” Sonya said adding that estimated weights and measures tend to vary greatly, depending upon who you talk to.

Talent and family
“RST has a lot of talent,” explained Sonya adding that most of RST’s employees have worked together since before the company was formed. “We employ people who have worked in the oilfields, construction and wind electricians. Each job has its own lingo. We can send an employee who speaks the right lingo and the job gets done quicker, and everybody’s safe.”

Keeping track of six to eight jobs a day for five cranes and 10 employees has been Sonya’s area of expertise. She’s recently handed some of that responsibility off to office manager Tracy Jones.

“It’s hard for husband and wife to work together 24/7,” she said. “Even lovers need a holiday.”

That’s why Sonya is taking a brief break to spend more time with the couple’s youngest daughter, Desiree, 4, before she begins school next fall.

“She’s the one whose really in charge here,” the couple quickly agreed.

Two more daughters, Shasta, 21, Kaylee, 15 and one son, Ricky, 13 round out the Torres family.

Lancaster-born Rick met Sonya, a Tehachapi native, at West Park baseball fields. The couple celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary last week.

Posted online March 9, 2009; print edition March 11, 2009.