ANCO IRON & CONSTRUCTION , INC .
San Francisco-based Anco Iron & Construction ( Anco ) began in a basement in 1969 , when brothers William and Tony Colina needed a handrail for a Potrero Hill home they had purchased and were remodeling . After a neighbor saw the quality of their work and asked them to build another handrail , the brothers started a shop in their garage and began fabricating metal for many residential homes – later moving into a larger shop and expanding into construction and commercial work . Since its inception , this family-owned and operated business has provided top-quality work for customers throughout the Bay Area . Located in the Bayview-Hunters Point District , Anco has worked on many of San Francisco ’ s most beloved landmarks , including Candlestick Park , Ghirardelli Square , the Warriors Stadium at Chase Center and the San Francisco International Airport . Today , Anco is owned by William ’ s son Hector Colina and run by Hector ’ s son , Nick Colina , and two daughters , Jenifer and Danielle ( Dani ) Colina .
Hector ’ s father and uncle immigrated to San Francisco from Veracruz , Mexico in the late 1940 ’ s and Hector was born in the Mission District in 1955 . When Hector ’ s uncle wanted to build his own house , he and Hector ’ s father hired a carpenter to help them . Soon after , they got a class “ B ” license and started building homes . “ So I grew up learning the trades ,” notes Hector , “ and I worked for my uncle and dad until all construction came to halt during the 1984 recession , when I decided to focus on building my own home instead . I told them I would be back , but it took me 10 years to return .”
During another recession in 1993 , Hector ’ s dad reached out to an architect friend who suggested that he get certified as a small business owner , which he did . In 1994 , Hector ’ s father asked Hector , who was by then 39 , to return to the company because Anco had just been awarded its first public works project at historic Candlestick Park . Hector was introduced at that time to the Contractor Development Program ( CDP ) and its administrator , Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services ( MWIS ), who helped Anco secure a $ 100K bond to take on the Candlestick Park project .
“ Candlestick was being remodeled to be Superbowl-worthy ,” recalls Hector , “ so we were tasked with adding stairways and seating to enlarge the capacity .” After that , Anco won a contract with Nibbi Brothers General Contractors to work on the San Francisco General Hospital Parking Garage , which Hector remembers as an exciting project , with “ two towers , six stories and a lot of circular stairways .”
Nick expresses deep admiration for Hector ’ s accomplishments . “ My dad and grandpa worked on the San Francisco Ferry Building , Ghirardelli Square , the Chinese Hospital , the DeYoung Museum , the Eleanor Dam , every water treatment facility and most of the fire stations in the city . Our company has
Photo opposite : Anco field crew erecting framing for stairs and elevator at SFPUC ‘ s Biosolids Digester Facilities
FIRST QUARTER 2025 CONTRACTOR TOOLS - 09