Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3 | Page 88
Workers in-arms with Steve Johnson
fueling 120G blade, 1980s.
Digging Through the Archives:
RoBil Contracting
William Horner
W
hile driving in east Phoenix last
year, I noticed a faded white
decal on an old Allis Chalmers
grader parked in a construction yard.
Closer inspection confirmed it was, indeed,
a machine belonging to RoBil Construction.
Soon, I was talking to Roman L. Candelaria,
the Allis Chalmers owner, who hopped up
into the driver’s seat. Even after several
months of inactivity, Roman just turned
the key to fire her right up!
Candelaria shared memories of this
half-size grader that performed so well in
tight quarters and the company he co-
founded, RoBil Asphalt Paving . He started
the firm which specialized in small
driveways in a partnership with Bill
Sudbrack in 1968. Sudbrack contributed
cash to the firm ($2,000) while Candelaria
supplied a pickup, a small Ford tractor, and
a 1953 Chevy two-ton flatbed.
The two became friends at Nesbitt
Contracting. Candelaria worked with the
St. John’s Division and would visit the
Valley during slow construction periods.
Candelaria and Sudbrack noticed an
untapped market for paving and seal
coating, and decided to start a business.
Roman Candelaria and Bill Sudbrack with
Chevy work truck, late 1960s.
RoBil Construction
employees, 1980s.
Eighty eight
Fall 2015