figure things out from a legal, financial and safety perspective,” she noted. Prior to starting her own Santa Cruz- based company that offers traffic control, permitting and preconstruction project management services about a year and a half ago, McEndree was already very active in AGC of California. She previously worked for two AGC of California mem- ber contractors and was involved in the association’s Emerging Leaders program at the local, state, and national level, so she was familiar with the advantages AGC of California services can offer. “Being a new company, it’s very daunt-
ing to have to gather information all on your own while also trying to get new clients, get invoices out and bills paid,” she said. “Getting that kind of ‘SparkNotes’ version of what I need to know as a new and emerging contractor is extremely helpful and has allowed me to instead allocate my resources to where they need to be on a day-to-day basis.” Acie Mathews, CEO and president of
Mathews General Engineering and Con- struction, also has derived considerable benefits from participating on the SUB Forum. “I’m a new contractor, so all the information I can get has helped me get to the point where we are bidding projects now,” he noted. “I’m learning as I go, so the support is really helpful and that’s what makes what (AGC of California) is doing so important.” Mathews began his career in construc-
tion over 10 years ago when he joined the Operating Engineers Union, Local 3 as an apprentice. He went on to become a Journeyman years later while earning his degree in construction management from San Joaquin Valley College. Over the years he noticed what he saw as a lack of advancement opportunities for Black people in construction and decided to form his own company to help create the change he wanted to see in the
industry. He got his contractor’s license and branched out to start his own com- pany about a year ago. Headquartered in Manteca, Mathews General Engineering and Construction specializes in a variety of heavy construction work including structure engineering, structure back- fills, excavation, rock slope protection, grading, trenching with utilities, slope protection, and much more.
“To have these AGC Forums directly provide the information I need has been extremely helpful, as far as finding resources on how to bid certain jobs and get into new markets and helping me figure things out from a legal, financial and safety perspective.” – Casey McEndree, Calosso Construction
Since he made the decision to open
his own contracting company, Mathews has been absorbing all the information he can get through AGC of California webinars and the SUB Forum, Caltrans “Meet the Prime” events, Small Business Administration seminars and the like. He recently won his first bid and said he is looking forward to hiring others for his company to fulfill his goal to help build a more diverse industry. “One of my goals once I achieve a bit of success is to bring more minorities into this industry and to make a home for them,” Mathews said.
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JULY/AUGUST 2023
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