RICARDO MARRUN CONSTRUCTION( RMC) necessary processes and procedures.
After two years, Rick was promoted to Senior Concrete Structural Estimator and began earning a very good income.“ Five years later, an industry colleague asked how Bothman was treating me and I had to say that they were treating me very well.”
Nevertheless, Rick couldn’ t resist the challenge of a new opportunity when he learned that there was a 15 year-old San Francisco-based concrete construction company, De Haro Ramirez Group( DHRG), looking for a right-hand man to help scale the company.“ The owner had built a great company but was estimating, running the operations, and managing projects, which hampered his ability to grow. I found this opportunity of great interest, so I made the jump, which allowed the owner to focus on operations and project management, while I did the estimating.”
Buoyed by Rick’ s expertise, as well as his ability to recruit some of his Bothman colleagues, including Angie Ramos, DHRG doubled its revenue during Rick’ s first year there, doubling it again the following year.
Seven years in, Rick had the realization that it was time for him to start his own company. So, in his mid-50’ s, Rick struck out on his own.“ After all, every stage in my professional career – including working at Bothman and DHRG – has been a great learning experience, without which I couldn’ t be where I am today.”
Initially, after leaving DHRG, Rick brought in some income by helping a business colleague launch a tree company while preparing to launch Ricardo Marrun Construction( RMC).“ I began by estimating and bidding work night and day. I needed to land my first big job to bring on my Executive team members,” he remarks. Angie Ramos serves as RMC’ s Director of Accounting and Miguel Mondragon as the company’ s V. P. of Field Operations.
As is true for most small business owners, Rick’ s biggest challenge was cash flow.“ Had I not had a supportive wife who has been on this journey with me and who totally believes in me, I couldn’ t have started RMC,” he says.
In order to launch his company, Rick had to come up with nearly $ 1 million for equipment, vehicles, insurance, and even though RMC didn’ t yet have any paid employees, compulsory workmen’ s compensation. Making this happen meant mortgaging their house, reaching out to Merriwether and Williams Insurance Services, Inc.( MWIS), A Hub International Company, for assistance in securing a $ 250K loan, and getting help qualifying for a $ 500K SBA loan. He was able to qualify for the loans because he could show that he had the knowledge, experience, and a $ 5 million work backlog that would enable him to make the loan repayments and meet his business costs.
“ In order to pay my loan obligations and my employees, I knew that my first commercial contract had to be big – so I went after a
SUMMER 2025 CONTRACTOR TOOLS- 11