ifornia for over 30 years. (Both Gene Vance and Verner Tomas were chairs while I served on the Inland Empire Board.) It’s much easier to build a relationship when you have that kind of history.”
Bringing Out the Best in People Coate said that the leadership qualities he saw in Derek Ritarita made it easy to want to help him and his company succeed. “I have always felt that smart people prove themselves by knowing that they don’t know everything first. Derek’s humble and honest approach brings out the best in people,” he said. “Te employees of Vance Corpora- tion knew the success of the company, where they had been part of the team for years, started with the faith that they had the right leader,” Coate added. “Der- ek’s collaborative style creates amazing synergism between the employees, trade relationships, professional relationships, and their competition. I can’t think of another client that has been better at de- veloping positive relationships resulting in positive results as quickly.” Leaning into these industry connec-
tions that were made easily accessible through AGC proved invaluable to setting Vance Corporation on the right path, Ritarita noted. “Ken [Coate] is a great guy who has helped us out tremendously. He intro- duced us to our surety (representative)
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CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
at Old Republic who sat down with us, had a lot of patience, and helped guide us. Tere was a lot of learning as we go, and we’re still learning. It truly has been a great relationship all around.” He also credits another AGC of Califor- nia member firm they were introduced to at the Rancho Mirage meeting, Plumbtree & Brunner LLC Construction Lawyers. “We met Nick Bruner and Maria Plum- tree there, and they have been a blessing helping us collect money owed to us”. In addition to the assistance provided
by industry partners, Ritarita emphasiz- es the important role that the ongoing mentorship of Gene Vance has played for him through the years. Long after Vance retired, they still talk weekly and occasionally play golf together. “Gene is a big inspiration to me,” he said.
Paving the Way to a New Market Niche Bolstered by strong industrywide support, Vance Corporation’s growth was also fueled by the strategic decisions made by the new leadership team of Ritarita and Erautt to increase their focus on the equipment rental business and shift the types of projects they chose to pursue. Several years before Erautt joined
Vance Corporation, he and Ritarita be- came partners in a small equipment rental business, Western Paving Solu- tions, Yucaipa. Te company rents heavy
equipment to local contractors, including Vance, to meet their project needs. In addition to his knowledge of the
equipment rental business, Erautt (who had extensive experience as a union mill operator and management skills) also understood the opportunities presented by the asphalt paving and milling public works sector. When he joined Vance in 2017, the company had a fleet of some- what outdated dirt-moving equipment and was focused largely on less profitable and typically smaller dirt work projects. Tat changed in 2021. While the abrupt and unexpected management transition brought major upheaval and challenges to Vance Corporation, it also provided the opportunity to change course and build a more profitable company that would benefit the entire team of employees in the long term. “Robert and I put our heads together,
and he had a big part in changing the di- rection we were heading in,” Ritarita said. Looking to fill a different niche, Vance Corporation began swapping out its dirt movers and investing much more heavily in mills and pavers; they currently have five of each in their equipment portfolio. Tey also shifted focus on the types of jobs they pursued, Erautt noted. “We started targeting these jobs that were grind and overlay work, where you quickly get in, get out and get paid.” Tis collaboration and new thinking
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