Ricky Pennington Keeps Castle Equipment Moving

It’s not unusual for Ricky Pennington to begin his workday with an early-morning workout and a 5:30 a.m. call from a Castle project manager or superintendent.

As equipment logistics manager, Pennington’s crack-of-dawn coordination skills keep the company’s equipment fleet moving to and from job sites that span from Texas to South Dakota.

On any given day, Pennington might field 50 to 60 phone calls requesting excavators, bulldozers, skid steer loaders and other tools for crews to use in completing their civil construction work.  

It’s a high-stress role that requires quick thinking and juggling multiple demands. 
“Managing the chaos is challenging, but it’s also my favorite part of the job,” notes Pennington, who originally joined Castle Contracting in 2021 as a mechanic. “I think the most stressful part is having to find the right equipment for a job when it’s not immediately available. I might call 10 different rental houses to find a specific piece of equipment that somebody needs.”

Pennington regularly works with Dispatcher, a cloud-based software program that provides real-time visibility into Castle's expansive fleet operations. The system enables him to coordinate moves to and from individual job sites while also assigning drivers to complete the deliveries.

Transitioning from hands-on mechanical work to computer-based equipment logistics required Pennington to sharpen his computer skills. “I wasn't a computer guy at all,” he admits. “I was used to getting dirty and changing equipment parts.”

Prior to stepping into his current role in May 2025, Pennington worked as a mechanic foreman specializing in equipment rebuilds. Together with colleague JR Stoops, he oversaw the rebuild of a Caterpillar D6 bulldozer dubbed “Dirt Vader”—a custom-painted black and chrome machine currently stationed at a renewable energy project in Texas. “I love doing rebuilds,” he says. “I like taking a machine down to nothing and then making it work again. That was always fun.”

Following in Dad’s Footsteps

A native of New Baden, Illinois, Pennington enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2007. His seven-year military service included a 400-day deployment to Iraq in 2009. “My unit trained about 13,000 Iraqi police officers to teach them how to police their towns on a day-to-day basis,” he recalls.

After returning home, Pennington initially pursued a law enforcement career and worked as a deputy sheriff in downtown St. Louis from 2011 to 2014.

When his father, Rick Sr., decided to leave his job at the railroad in 2014 to join Castle as a mechanic, Pennington took over for his dad at the railroad. Eventually, Rick Sr. paved the way for his son to secure his own position as a Castle mechanic in 2021. The duo worked together in the Castle shop until Rick Sr. retired in December 2024.

Pennington currently lives in High Ridge, Missouri, with his wife, Danielle. He has three children: daughter Aften (19) and sons Lucas (17) and Zyler (14). In his spare time, he enjoys fishing for bass and crappie. He also plays hockey in a beer league and coaches youth hockey teams.