The Who's Who Metro Los Angeles, Santa Barbara Article Archive

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Lines with No Limits
Fall/Winter 2021

As a parking and highway striping and sealcoat contractor, Azusa, California-based PCI has built a reputation for versatility. From airfields to ADA signage, roadways to railyards, parking lots to playgrounds, the company is equipped to do it…

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‘Let’s Build Something Together’
Fall/Winter 2021

At Building Resources, the focus is on all the people who are part of the project process. “We champion the people who build,” says Juan Banos, CEO of the firm based in Los Angeles County.

Anything but Boring
Fall/Winter 2021

Not every Los Angeles area restaurant, celebrity home or office building can have stairs suspended by a cable, or extremely creative glass and steel stairs—only those that call J&R Steel and Welding, Inc. (J&R) of Tarzana, California.

Providing Comfort and Efficiency
Fall/Winter 2021

Lending his last name to the “J” in OJ Insulation, L.P., Scott Jenkins co-founded this business to maximize energy efficiency and increase comfort in homes and offices. Established in 1984 in El Monte, California, the company provides insulation…

The Utility Eight
Spring/Summer 2021

Despite the name, the Utility Eight is not a team of superheroes, although the eight individuals that make up the leadership team of Cal Empire Engineering Inc. (Cal Empire) are, for many, definitely crusaders for underground solutions.

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Underground Goes High-Tech
Spring/Summer 2021

Kevin Stewart used his closed-circuit TV (CCTV) operator skills to become a hero on April 2, 2018. It was the day after Easter when the Pipe Tec, Inc. Foreman and CCTV Operator found himself in the middle of a freeway in the early morning hours…

Staying Focused
Spring/Summer 2021

It’s impossible to determine which matters more to Darren Tangen—his Midwest Roofing Co. Inc. customers or his team. Posing the question to him is like asking a parent who their favorite child is.

Not Your Father’s Construction Business
Spring/Summer 2021

Andrew “Drew” Robles is a man with an innovative vision for the construction industry. And as he prepared to launch Foundational Builders Corp. in March 2020, he took advantage of COVID-19 shutdowns to turn his attention to honing a unique business…

Topped with Integrity
Spring/Summer 2021

Roofing is the only industry that Rick Cedano has ever known. When clients hire his company, they are signing on to more than 30 years of his expertise plus his steadfast commitment to integrity and customer service. Custom Roof Company, Inc.…

Living the Dream
Fall/Winter 2020

When Gustavo “Gus” Escutia was 15 years old, he and his family moved from Mexico to California in search of the American Dream. Their early years in the U.S., however, were anything but ideal. They found themselves in a high-crime area where…

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Cutting It Close
Fall/Winter 2020

In 1985, Gary Hale decided it was time for a change.

Value-Conscious & Custom-Made
Fall/Winter 2020

Los Angeles-based MTD Kitchen has been customer-focused and cost-conscious from the very beginning. The company has built a reputation for being one of the top custom cabinetmakers for residential and multifamily units in the region. The value…

Keep Your Customer Happy Now
Fall/Winter 2020

John Vardanyan was in college studying electrical engineering and working for his father’s construction company when his dad’s favorite saying became his own personal mantra: “Keep your customer happy now,” his dad would say, “and you’ll make…

Collaboration, Passion Help Them Rise
Fall/Winter 2020

Ron Hudson is the first to tell you that he hardly imagined himself as the man who would one day head an industry-leading, $68 million gross revenue construction services company. In 1976, when Ron was 26 years old, he says he started Superior…

The New Pour
Fall/Winter 2020

When SUPERCAP Services West (SUPERCAP West) shows up to pour quick-drying, self-leveling SUPERCAP cement for floor underlayments in building projects, construction managers can count on three things, says Ben Timmerman, SUPERCAP West Principal:

Fast Responders
Fall/Winter 2020

Major fires have torn their way through the West Coast in 2020, causing severe devastation. Unfortunately for building owners in California, this scenario has become a regular occurrence. What doesn’t receive as much attention is the water damage…

One-Stop Shop for Success
Fall/Winter 2020

Aspiring to become a licensed and insured contractor, to start a construction company and to have that business flourish are attainable goals. Operating under the parent organization Contractors Career Centers, three separate business entities…

Turning Dreams Into Reality
Fall/Winter 2020

No matter if it is the design of a specialty faucet or a glamorous cap for a cleanout cover, Creative Design Plumbing, Inc. (CDP) can and will get the job done. Founded in 1994 in Costa Mesa, California, the company provides plumbing installation…

A Company You Can Bank On
Fall/Winter 2020

Like the precision of when—and how—a bank opens, the so-called “8 o’clock call” involving managers at Frontline STC, Inc. (Frontline) helps keep the company in a preferred service-provider position among banks and credit unions in Arizona and…

Opening Doors to the Future
Fall/Winter 2020

Based in Los Angeles, California, Houck Construction Inc. is opening doors to the future and embracing change. That change comes in the form of transitioning from paper to digital management and communications, so the company can utilize technology…

Pride in Workmanship
Spring/Summer 2020

Adam Lopez, President of Interior Experts General Builders Inc. (Interior Experts), took a summer job hanging drywall at age 16 and has never looked back.

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Concrete Work Redefined
Spring/Summer 2020

Choosing between traditional concrete work and the shotcrete method is often an either/or proposition for a contractor, but Todd Hand and Rob Vonarb say it doesn’t have to be. A project can include both.

Building Trust & Fences
Spring/Summer 2020

For almost 47 years, the Moreno family has led California-based A-1 Steel Fence Co., Inc. (A-1) with attention to detail and a hands-on approach. It’s paid off with high-profile projects at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village as well as…

A Paving Company in the People Business
Spring/Summer 2020

For the leaders of Ben’s Asphalt, Inc., the keys to customer satisfaction are its hard-working team of dedicated employees, close relationships with top suppliers and an in-house approach that ensures quality at every phase of the construction…

The Win is in the Workers
Spring/Summer 2020

For Richard Tipping, the word “good” means something specific. As Founder and President of the 8-year-old Tipping Development, Inc. (doing business as Tipping Custom Homes), the Monrovia, California, businessman passionately assures the good…

Synergy of Mind, Method and Technology
Spring/Summer 2020

When Jonathan Golding and Rae Lamothe decided they wanted to serve the public, dreams of making the world a better place by safeguarding legal rights beckoned them to law school. Through the firm Golding + Lamothe, Jonathan and Rae have developed…

Sustainable and Innovative
Spring/Summer 2020

Specguard, a formulating and manufacturing company, focuses on meeting the important issues facing the fluid-applied commercial roof systems market.

Taking on the Impossible
Spring/Summer 2020

When a project becomes a “Mission Impossible” job, customers call Jonathan Amrani, President of Amrani Construction, Inc. Though he may not speed in on a BMW motorcycle or drop in from an Airbus helicopter, Jonathan and his team do ultimately…

Breaking Through Walls
Fall/Winter 2019

With intention and purpose, two women survey the city of Long Beach, California, from the 15th floor of a commercial high-rise. Jill Dupleich, President, and daughter Alexandra Dupleich, Vice President, of ARA Contractors, Inc. take in the beauty…

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Form and Function for the Future
Fall/Winter 2019

Corporate has become a dirty word. It became that way when Silicon Valley embraced open floor plans and set off a revolution in office design. The open, airy workplace layouts have spread far beyond the area where they originated. Today, designs…

Helping Clients Become ADA Compliant
Fall/Winter 2019

For Tony Guichard, the road to owning one of Los Angeles’ premier concrete construction companies started at the age of 16. Working as an asphalt and concrete laborer, Tony moved between companies across the Los Angeles area. He had nearly a…

Rock Solid Since 1934
Fall/Winter 2019

How do you celebrate more than 80 years in business? If you’re Stone Roofing Company, Inc. (Stone Roofing), you wrap up a more than 1.3 million-square-foot project—one of its most highly coordinated (and largest) roofing projects to date. Beyond…

A Life’s Work
Fall/Winter 2019

As Robert (Bob) W. Stein reflects on the past 61 years of his career, one word sums it up: satisfaction. Bob has had an entrepreneurial spirit as long as he can remember. As a child, his father rented out a warehouse in Brownsville, Texas, to…

The Right Door Every Time
Fall/Winter 2019

Every structure needs doors, and Eddie Reyes guides contractors and property owners through the maze of options to obtain and install the best doors for the job. Reyes is Founder and Owner of EJR Door Division (EJR), a door supplier based in…

Protecting People Today and Into the Future
Fall/Winter 2019

Richard Perini was in college studying fire science when he took a part-time job designing and selling alarm systems. He would go to school in the day and sell systems at night, working in the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County. One day,…

California Dreamin
Fall/Winter 2019

The angular silhouettes of office buildings comprise the bulk of every city skyline in America. Yet, as the business landscape itself changes through mergers and the rise of flexible working environments, more and more of these familiar structures…

Crafted With Care
Spring/Summer 2019

The growing workforce shortage is a hot topic in today’s construction space. There simply aren’t enough trade workers to fulfill the industry’s rising needs—though one group in Southern California is doing its best to meet the challenge.

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Insuring Success
Spring/Summer 2019

It’s no secret the three biggest expenses on a construction site are typically materials, payroll and insurance.

From Day One Until the Job is Done
Spring/Summer 2019

The company that ensures safe work zones underwent one of its greatest tests yet during the end-of-year Woolsey Fire in Southern California.

Putting Safety First
Spring/Summer 2019

“Building value with integrity” goes beyond typical marketing speak for Oakmont Builders, Inc. The company, founded in 2012, is committed to protecting and serving its community. Its creed is “building value with integrity,” and to CEO James…

Rapid Riser
Spring/Summer 2019

The past seven years have been something of a whirlwind for Ryan Contractors Inc. (RCI), a general contractor based in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Incorporated in 2012, RCI was begun by CEO and President Shawn Ryan, who brought in Vice President…

From High-Rises to Historic Restorations
Fall/Winter 2018

If you’ve ever visited prominent attractions in Southern California, you’ve likely encountered the work of Kitson Contracting Inc.: the San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park; the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; the San Diego Convention Center;…

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Rarified Air
Fall/Winter 2018

There are some stories that hit a person like a breath of fresh air.

Protecting Against Theft, Fire and Water Damage
Fall/Winter 2018

When the sun goes down on a construction site, the job is just beginning for American Calstar Security (American Calstar). The company, a dba of LA Best Security Inc., provides security services for commercial and residential clients throughout…

The Power of Reputation
Fall/Winter 2018

Knowing when to speak up can change everything. For Vic Braden, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Cornerstone Construction Group, Inc. (Cornerstone), speaking up and joining a conversation more than 40 years ago put…

A Backbone of Steel
Spring/Summer 2018

Celebrating a milestone 30th anniversary, Paragon Steel has built an industry-leading reputation for providing a complete line of steel and stainless products with a customer-first approach. But it’s not the variety of tubes, beams, plates and…

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Getting Dirty
Spring/Summer 2018

While most people search their entire lives to find a career about which they truly are passionate, the owner of Catalpa Excavation, Inc., Fionan Mc Cann, knew as early as the age of 14 that he wanted to pursue a career in construction.

Curbing Concrete’s Consequences
Spring/Summer 2018

The use of concrete in construction would hardly qualify as a “leave no trace” endeavor, but for an outdoorsman like Rusty Cours, at least the clean-up after laying concrete can be.

Inspired by Possibility
Fall/Winter 2017

If you’re looking for Edward Choi, he may be out singing karaoke, or barbecuing with his employees, or out with local business owners. But mostly, you’ll find him on a job site solving problems. For nearly 40 years, Edward has built his company…

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Ever-Evolving
Fall/Winter 2017

Back in junior high, when David Daoud was working on painting and tiling jobs after school, on weekends and during the holidays, he simply thought he was helping support his family. He never imagined he was building a career; and he certainly…

Designing. Engineering. Building. Eating.
Fall/Winter 2017

Restaurant construction is a complex and multi-layered process that requires more than just swinging hammers to get a space ready for opening day. It’s understanding the maze of paperwork and permits and streamlining the processes. It’s integrating…

A+ for B-One Construction, Inc.
Fall/Winter 2017

When Nick Iskanian had the chance to develop his first real estate project in 2012, he turned to his uncle to help him find a contractor he would feel comfortable using.

Alternative Solutions, Healthier Lives
Spring/Summer 2017

Life has a way of coaxing many of us along a path different from what we had originally planned. Such was the case for Sue Fries. Prior to her marriage, she utilized her energy volunteering in her church’s ministry and worked as an outside sales…

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Better Than Better
Spring/Summer 2017

Nancy Espie-Underwood is a force. She is a force of positivity and perseverance who, for the past five decades, has defied the limits that society has placed on her. As a black female entrepreneur running a successful business in a male-dominated…

Restoring History. Restoring Lives.
Fall/Winter 2016

Ray Adamyk began working in construction with his uncle when he was only 15 years old. Those early experiences helped fuel his passion to start his own company less than 10 years later. Business experience, a sense of greater purpose, and an…

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