Podcast Guests

Mike and Brian are joined by Brian Morales, President, Founder, and CEO of Pro-Cal Lighting, Inc. Not the typical path into the world of contractors; Brian left his position as a Pastor and decided to step into the trades where he fell in love with electrical work. Brian took a small investment from his then-retired father and turned it into a company with more than 85 employees! Brian is a great example of making the most out of every certification possible to get work like the LAUSD and BART.

Mike and Brian are joined by Mike Webb, President of MW Construction, Inc. Considering himself lucky, Mike knew since he was 4 years old that he wanted to be in construction. With a father in the trades, he grew up at different job sites regardless of the fact that his dad told him to do something differently for a career. Mike has literally done every aspect of construction, from pushing the broom, to digging ditches, to framing – you name it, he’s done it. Mike started MW Construction in 2019 after working some time at a handful of companies and is quickly making a name for himself. If you want to talk about a grinder and someone that knows every aspect of the trades, give Mike a listen!

Mike and Brian are joined by David Suter, President of Consolidated Building Systems, Inc. In 1997, David worked for a company as a facilities manager and was approached by his father to come work for the family business at CBSI – a construction management, project management, and relocation planning company. A few years ago, Sara Suter, David’s wife, came on board and they made the very intentional decision to build a company culture that embraces leadership over straight management. In David’s words, “we want to be leaders that people want to follow.” As a result, everyone within the company is like family and their employee retention rate is high. If you’re struggling as a business owner and need help with leading a team effectively and empowering those that work with you, then you’ll want to take the time to learn from David!

Mike and Brian are joined by Alexi Cortez, President of Diverse Technology Industrial, Inc. as well as James Lee Hardman, Vice President of Marketing. In 2001, Alexi, a US Marine, was deployed to Afghanistan on an aircraft carrier. On that carrier, there were subcontractors installing epoxy flooring, and while on the ship, Alexi’s job was to maintain the area they were working on to ensure they have a clean space to work in. That subcontractor offered Alexi a job on the spot that would be waiting for him when he returned from deployment, and the rest is history. You’ll hear how he’s grown multiple companies to annual revenues in the tens of millions and currently is on track to hit $100 million and then will give the company away to the people who helped him get there. Alexi is now a multi-millionaire and has created a culture of growth and excitement where his employees are handsomely rewarded. We say this a lot, but Alexi’s for real. You’re gonna want to check him out – for your own good!

Mike and Brian are joined by Nicole Miller, Vice President of Koury Engineering, CEO of both MB Pro Services and the Fortrez Group, and President and Founder of the Bella Foundation. From Minnesota and working for Wells Fargo, Nicole moved to Newport Beach, California, and went to work in construction with Koury Engineering. She quickly moved into a leadership position at Koury which then dovetailed into an opportunity to become CEO of MB Pro Services as well. Nicole details with Mike and Brian the specifics of working as a woman in leadership in construction in this episode. You’ll want to take the time to listen to this episode!

Mike and Brian are joined by Gabrielle and Octavio Lucatero, General Manager and Sales Manager, respectively, of Accurate Firestop & Insulation. Gabrielle’s father, Javier, joined the company in 2001, six years after it was formed, and bought the company outright in 2011. At that time, it was at $2 million in revenue. Today, they’re at $50 million in revenue! Javier quickly realized that the key to growth was finding strong talent to complement his strengths and weaknesses as well as systems and processes to keep each other accountable. Take a listen to Gabrielle and Octavio if you’re interested in learning how to grow your company significantly, efficiently, and quickly!

Mike and Brian are joined by Steven Dolan, Vice President of WICR Waterproofing & Construction. Steven realized quickly that he had a gifting in sales while on a life sabbatical in Kaanapali, Maui working at Sunglass Hut. Consistently ranking in the top 1% in sales for the company, Steven eventually made the move back home to San Diego and started in sales for WICR Waterproofing & Construction. The company was at $1.5 million in revenue when he arrived. By his 3rd year, they were at $7 million and by his 5th year they were at $12 million. Quickly realizing the value he brought to the company, they offered him ownership within the company. If you’re looking for creative ways to grow the bottom line of your company, Steven’s your man.

Mike and Brian are joined by Michael Plyley and Lindsey Paige Lannan, President and Office Manager, respectively, of Sandbar Mechanical. Starting his career working for a general contractor and then in air conditioning, Michael made the move and started Sandbar Mechanical, an HVAC and Refrigeration company in 2004. Michael details the difficulties that have come as a small business owner, specifically the shortage of labor that has been brought about by the additional $600 per week of unemployment continuing through the end of July. Also, great lessons in this one on the importance of bringing about the right office and management staff to catch things like $150,000 worth of billable work. Michael and Lindsey really open up on the lessons they’ve learned owning and running a construction company. Check it out!!

Mike and Brian are joined by Pat Wade, President and CEO of CertaPro Painters of Huntington Beach. With a strong 17 year business background and a graduate from the University of Southern California, Pat left the corporate business world and made the decision to scratch that entrepreneurial itch. When Pat told his wife and mom he was going to be a painter, they about fell out of their chair and reminded him he’s color blind! But with his strength in the sales, marketing, and finance categories, Pat supplemented the business with the right painting talent. As a result, they cover the entire state of California commercially and on the residential side, have added two cities to their territory increasing their sales tremendously. If you’re looking to beef up your contractor business and grow significantly, Pat Wade is your man. Fight on Pat!

Mike and Brian are joined by Greg Ramirez, CEO of Rhodium Integrated Services, Inc. With his brothers a couple decades ago and $10,000, they started their construction business and jumping into union work from the start, they quickly realized that they were severely undercapitalized and pivoted to reconstruction. Greg highlights their history as a company in the trades – from going back to union work in scaffolding and continuing on the reconstruction side, to carefully choosing your business partners. Sit back and enjoy this one – Mike and Brian did for sure!