“We value everybody on our team, and we take care of each other. I think that is what sets us apart. I try to make sure everyone feels appreciated, and we keep that positive attitude moving forward.” – Derek Ritarita, Vance Corporation President


a sole-ownership contractor’s license personally held by Verner Tomas rather than a corporate contractor’s license that covered other listed company officers. Quick action was needed to keep the doors open. “We used Robert’s license so I could go out and obtain a corporate contractor’s license, which is what we operate under now,” Ritarita said. “It got hectic for a while, and we didn’t know if we were going to be able to continue or would have to close up shop. Tose were pretty tough times.”


bull rider in 1989 when he joined the small mom-and-pop roadwork and grading company that Gene Vance and his wife founded in Southern California in 1981. He started out as a part-time laborer (still doing rodeo at that time) and then steadily moved through the ranks to equipment operator, job foreman, super- intendent, general superintendent, and vice president of operations before mak- ing an early ascent to president in 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, Vance Corporation was earning about $5 million in annual rev- enue and had been operating under


The Power of Collaboration Underscoring the importance of industry relationships and the power of collabora- tion, Vance reached out to Oscar Rivera, AGC of California’s director, Southern California engagement, for help. The company has been an AGC of California member since 1985, but Ritarita and Erautt hadn’t personally been involved in the association until they took the leadership reins at Vance. “Tat was the start of my relationship


with AGC of California,” Ritarita said. “Tey assisted a lot, helping me get my license and get it all squared away.” But Vance Corporation faced another


major challenge: the significant drop in its bonding capacity in the wake of the leadership change.


“When Vern passed, (the bonding company) didn’t initially want to put bonding into me. Tey knew I had expe- rience in the field, but they didn’t know whether I was going to be able to run the company,” Ritarita said. He was forced to temporarily leverage some of their equipment and even put his personal house up as collateral in order to bond its ongoing projects. Once again, industry collaboration and connections proved crucial. Ritarita and Erautt attended an AGC of California event in Rancho Mirage, where Rivera connected them with longtime AGC of California member Ken Coate, vice president with Inland Surety Bonds & Insurance Services, a division of HUB International Insurance Services, Inc. Coate had known both Gene Vance


and Verner Thomas for many years through their mutual active involvement with AGC of California. He was happy to reconnect with Vance leadership and find out how he could help them navigate this extremely challenging time. “(Vance was) struggling to establish a


relationship with a surety, and as a public works contractor this was creating their greatest challenge,” Coate said. “Oscar’s intuition and knowledge of members put us together. Probably the most important thing that allowed us to trust each other early on is our commitment to AGC of Cal-


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025


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