PCA Trucking is a firm that brings forth the notions of achieving goals through knowledge and growth. Paul Robinson Jr. started the firm in 2014 after driving a truck for Angelica Mercado's father's company. After having attained familiarity with the trucking business, Paul "decided to start driving for himself." He branched out of the establishment, purchased his own truck, and created his own business. Paul initially started and ran the company by himself. A year later, as work increased, he bought a second truck. At this time, his wife, Angelica, began to immerse herself full time into the venture as the Operations Manager.
Late in 2015, PCA subcontracted under Leinaia's Transportation (see profile in our January 2017 Newsletter) working on the Mid-Coast Project. Leinaia, who had recently became certified as a DBE, recommended that PCA also obtain the certification, because of the additional opportunities available to DBE certified firms. Paul and Angelica realized how "being DBE-certified was not only beneficial for the present Mid-Coast project, but for the future of the firm." Leinaia connected PCA to Cory Raymond (MCTC Compliance Coordinator at the time), who encouraged the firm to attend MCTC Outreach events. PCA Trucking became a certified DBE in June 2016.
PCA Trucking's ardor came across well. They ultimately secured a $500,000 contract as a first-tier subcontractor to MCTC. Since joining the project, PCA has increased their staff from 2 employees to 4 full time employees and an additional part-time employee. Their journey began with one dump truck and has since expanded into a fleet of two dump trucks, two leased dump trucks, and a semi. Additionally, they recently became a licensed broker adding the respective "broker" NAICS code to their DBE certification. PCA acts as one of three Trucking Coordinators on the project, helping MCTC facilitate the 1:1 DBE Trucking Program we introduced last summer. Angelica attributes their company's growth to being certified as a DBE, and she strongly encourages eligible disadvantaged or minority owned businesses to "utilize the resources available, obtain as many certifications as you can, and attend as many meetings, trainings, and workshops possible." She cited the San Diego Business Development Center as one of the most effective assets available to businesses wishing to learn and grow. She stressed the importance of setting goals, and always working towards them regardless of the hurdles that may be encountered. PCA Trucking would like to keep building their reputation and obtain more contracts, as well as continue to increase and diversify their fleet and staff. The firm is quickly growing and proving they have the potential to thrive in the construction industry. MCTC looks forward to continuing our successful partnership with PCA Trucking on the Mid-Coast Project.
Montez Group Inc.
This month we highlight the Montez Group Inc. (Montez), a DBE firm performing Quality Control inspection services on the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project. Montez was created in 2011 by Oscar Zavaleta when he sensed a growing need for quality control inspection services on construction projects in the southern California region. Oscar had spent several years cutting his teeth as an employee of various consulting firms on light rail construction projects, but felt the time was right to begin the process of branching out on his own.
To help with the transition, Oscar kept working during the day for a consulting firm while at night he put the puzzle pieces in place for Montez. This included applying for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification in 2013. The year 2015 proved to be pivotal for Oscar. He decided the time was right to leave his day job and devote full attention to running Montez. Soon thereafter, he hired his first employee and submitted his first proposal. He was awarded the contract for Project Control Management on a Los Angeles area construction project.
Developing a solid reputation through their work, other opportunities began to present themselves to Montez. When MCTC hired RMA Group (RMA) to perform Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) on the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project, Montez was contracted by RMA to provide inspection support. (More details on QA/QC work in the next section below.) Montez's contribution also helped the MCTC team garner additional DBE participation.
Currently, Montez's role on the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project is to perform Q.C. inspection and testing. This includes aggregate testing and sampling, concrete testing, and formwork and rebar inspections on the Cast-In-Drilled-Hole (CIDH) Foundations for the Elvira to Morena Double Track Bridges (learn more about MCTC's CIDH work on Nobel Drive in the Construction Update below).
Montez continues to grow by securing repeat clients and chasing new projects. In addition to the Mid-Coast Transit Corridor Project, they are also supporting the LA Rams Stadium in Inglewood, the Automated People Mover project in Los Angeles, and CalTrain/Airport projects in San Francisco. Montez's growth and success can be attributed to a good staff. Most of Montez's employees were discovered through networking, previous projects, or referrals from coworkers. Oscar feels that "good people know good people." Oscar also credited his DBE certification to opening a few doors of opportunity for Montez on large-scale projects.
Moving forward, the Montez Group has their sights set on San Diego Airport projects. Oscar hopes to continue expanding the business further along the West Coast, and in the future, bid as a prime for Construction Management contracts. Oscar emphasized that "really believing in what you want to do will place you on the path towards your goal... gaining as much knowledge from seasoned contractors and keeping an open mind will help you get there."
SRK Engineering
Last year, we highlighted how DBE firm SRK Engineering (SRK) has grown from a team of two (2) full time employees (owner Sherry R. Kirkpatrick and husband Jeremy Kirkpatrick) with an initial $500,000 contract, to having 20 employees and a $13 million contract. Well, this DBE success story just keeps getting better! Going into 2019, SRK now has 25 employees, their contract is over $23 million and they are still growing!
This local San Diego firm was established in 2014, became DBE certified the following year and joined the Project in January 2017. Sherry attended MCTC and SANDAG outreach events in order to learn more about the Project, specifically the retaining wall needs, and eventually had the opportunity to bid on that initial contract. Since then, Sherry and her SRK team have proven to be a tremendous asset to MCTC and the Project.
In 2017, MCTC was searching for a different way to build retaining walls adjacent to a LOSSAN (Los Angeles - San Diego - San Luis Obispo) Rail Corridor. The original design was proving to be a challenge because the terrain was so difficult to drill into. SRK proposed an alternative design using a counterfort wall system. Their value engineering effort would ultimately result in $5 million of savings to the Project.
Because of SRK's initiative, they received the MCTC contract to design and build the counterfort retaining walls. They had to construct five walls totaling nearly 100,000 square feet. They were also under a time crunch to finish their work in sync with the completion of a major Project milestone, an important LOSSAN track switch. SRK's ability to deliver under these conditions has not gone unnoticed.
According to MCTC Construction Manager Terry Martin, "SRK demonstrated tremendous leadership, skill and tenacity in building their young company to rise up to this challenge." He says that the SRK team approaches their work "with a can-do attitude, never backing away from the many challenges and issues that arose." SRK's success on these retaining walls has led to additional subcontracting packages arising from MCTC including civil, storm drain and utility work.
Since starting with MCTC, SRK has hired more employees and even purchased additional equipment (including loaders, excavators and dump trucks). They have proven themselves to larger firms like MCTC, which has led to contracts on new projects in Colorado, Washington and Orange County, California. As Terry has said, "SRK's performance represents the most successful DBE story that I have been part of in my career in construction. They are also one of the very best subcontractors that I have worked with, period."
We couldn't agree more. Keep up the great work, SRK!
Cable, Pipe, and Leak Detection
Cable, Pipe, and Leak Detection (CPL) has the kind of name that tells you exactly what they do, and they've been doing it since 1976. The CPL team currently performs water and utility leak detection for the Project, which is indispensable for maintaining safety and preventing unnecessary costs and delays. CPL also performs leak detection and utility locates for businesses, government agencies, and residents throughout Southern California. In fact, they were the first utility locating and leak detection service in San Diego County!
CPL joined the MCTC team in 2016, the same year that they received DBE certification. Since then, CPL's contract has more than quadrupled in value. They were able to add two (2) employees to the Project in that time and now have five (5) full-time staff. The increase in contracts has also allowed CPL to purchase four (4) new vehicles, a GIS mapping utility reporter, and a CCTV crawler (a camera mounted onto a remote-controlled car that can be driven into a pipe).
Working as a DBE subcontractor on the Project has allowed CPL to enhance their resume with valuable experience, leading to new contracts with Caltrans, San Diego Unified School District, and Navy Public Works. Melissa Bailey, CPL Project Coordinator, told us that her company's motto is: "No job is too big or too small." From what we've seen recently, the work just keeps getting bigger!