Rhino Staging began in 1991 in Tempe, Arizona. It has come a long way since. Few things demonstrate this better than our Tempe headquarters office facility. The several thousand square feet of it as compared with our modest beginnings is a case of night and day.
The training facilities that have been developed in Tempe are a source of great pride. Tempe is one of five Rhino national training centers. The others are located in Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
“The Perfect Space”
Our Director of Operations in Tempe Jayson Adamsen calls the office facility the “perfect space with the right amounts of office and warehouse space to allow us to do large training opportunities for our crews.” He notes additionally that it took “many years of looking” to find this perfect space; which we finally did in 2016.
The current inventory of training facilities, equipment and gear in Tempe includes:
- 20’ x 10’ x 20’ high rope access structure
- Classroom which can accommodate up to 24
- Open space in warehouse for teaching stagehand skills
- Portable 48” monitor and lectern for use in classroom or warehouse training settings
- Loading dock and truck (for loader training)
- Scissor lift and forklift
- Full inventory of fall protection equipment and rigging equipment available for training sessions
- Lighting inventory suitable for entry level lighting training up to Master Electrician training
- CPR and fall rescue dummies
The Jungle Gym
The rope access structure, also known as the “jungle gym”, is used for rigging and SPRAT training. It also doubles as a place to hang truss pieces and pipes for use in lighting and Master Electrician classes. The jungle gym is occasionally rented out as a place for other organizations to do their own SPRAT training when such Rhino training is not underway.
Thoughts from Leadership
Victor Gates, Director of Rigging for Rhino in Tempe, had this to say about the jungle gym.
“One of the best things about having the opportunity to train our crew with a structure in our own warehouse is getting to watch the crew grow and learn new skills. Having riggers learn rope access techniques and eventually get their SPRAT certification not only allows them to work on rope access projects, but makes them better riggers overall.”
The forklift and scissor lift on hand in Tempe are used for training both in the warehouse and outdoors in a dedicated parking lot space. Further on-site equipment operation training is done, indoor and out, with rented reach forks and boom lifts.
In the past year SPRAT, Lighting 101, advanced lighting, Master Electrician, supervisor, scissor and boom lift, counterbalance forklift, reach fork, and rigging rescue classes have all been conducted on-site in Tempe. In addition, several other classes have been conducted off-site at various venue partners. These include OSHA 30, spotlight, fly systems operator, and rigging training.
Carolyn DuRoss, Rhino’s National Director of Training, gave us her view about conducting training sessions at the office facility.
“We’ve tried to develop a very versatile training program. We can certainly do any of these training courses off-site, but doing what we can here at the office has its advantages. I like that it allows us to provide a safe and controlled environment for people to learn brand new skills. And by having this training area on our turf, we can also encourage Rhinos to stop by and put in some practice if they want. This way they can get comfortable, expanding and improving what they’ve learned beyond the classroom.”
Future Developments
Jayson told us that, as time permits, he is hoping to expand the Tempe training program. “It is always a balance between the crew’s time for training and actual gigs out in the real world,” he said. Specifically, he looks forward to acquiring a “Super Trouper” for spotlight training.
Thank you, Jayson, Victor and Carolyn and all at the Tempe office for all that you do to uphold our standards of safety, training, and professionalism.