Rafael was raised on a farm on the west side, out by San Joaquin. Grew up in the dirt, around equipment, and never really left it. His other company builds agricultural irrigation and concrete canal structures across the Valley, which is a fancy way of saying he has spent decades getting heavy things into exactly the right spot.
The crane started as a plan for his son, a Marine who went through lineman school in Texas and picked up crane certification along the way. The timing was not right for him yet, so dad did it the hard way: went back to school, got his NCCCO certification, bought the rig. It is a family operation. His wife keeps the wheels on the business side.
His first job in the game? Another operator's rig broke down, so he lent the man his crane, for a month, so the guy would not lose his clients. Ask around. That is the reputation he is building.
He put a camera on the ball because he wanted to watch his own picks closer. Nobody made him. That is the level of detail you are hiring.
