When a company nears its 100th year in business, expectations run high. When it’s been owned and operated by the same family for that length of time, there’s even more at stake—a single reputation, carried through generations, riding on the continued quality of service. This is the challenge faced by Ghilotti Bros., Inc. (GBI) of San Rafael.
“We’re closing in on our 100-year anniversary, and it’s tough to get away from a ‘This is how we’ve always done it’ attitude and move into that entrepreneurial spirit,” says company President Michael Ghilotti. “My role as president is to focus us on continuous improvement and constantly work at creating and redefining ourselves as a company.”
Representing the third generation (along with his brother, Dante, who serves as CEO) and with the fourth generation “waiting in the wings,” Ghilotti makes it clear that this is one heritage business that’s intent on facing forward. “Annually, we set company goals and one-, three- and five-year plans. We’re constantly evaluating our practices and successes, looking for efficiencies and opportunities for improvement,” he says. “Our long-term vision means taking stock of who we are and what we do, then deciding how to improve that by taking advantage of future opportunities in the marketplace.”
The “who we are and what we do” part of that statement goes back to company founder James Ghilotti, who came to the North Bay around 1908. Having already traveled much of the world honing his craft as a stone mason, James saw opportunity in the rebuilding projects that San Francisco faced following the devastating earthquake of 1906. In 1914, he founded James Ghilotti Stone Mason, the company that’s evolved into today’s Ghilotti Bros., Inc. It’s now a highly respected general engineering firm with expertise in excavating, grading, concrete, paving, underground, demolition and heavy highway work.
It’s a direction that helped GBI weather the recent downturn in building trades, as Ghilotti explains: “We were fortunate that, before this current recession, a significant portion of our revenues came from public works projects. As the economy slowed, most all of the private jobs disappeared. Luckily, we were already familiar with the ‘hard bid’ process that’s the standard for most government contracts.”
Recently completed projects include reconfiguring the Highway 101/580 interchange in San Rafael and the Highway 101 interchange at Wilfred Avenue in Rohnert Park, 12 miles of new roadway on Highway 80 in American Canyon and Fairfield, and the recent contract to widen Highway 12 at Jameson Canyon. The company is also involved in the ongoing reconstruction of the Doyle Drive approach to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco’s Presidio district and the Golden Gate Bridge Visitor Center. GBI also has a “special projects division” that focuses on smaller local projects (mostly private residential services, like driveways and patios) that helps the company stay customer service oriented and connected to its community.
And ultimately, says Michael, it’s the connections, big and small, that ensure the company’s success. “We complete more than 100 projects annually, so it can be hard to keep everything in balance. We have an average of 15 to 25 projects going at any time. We work collaboratively with owners to identify the risks and challenges of each project and then minimize them. Working together with owners and stakeholders, and setting mutual goals, fosters trust and respect.”
It’s working. GBI has been honored over the years with several partnership awards (from state agencies and industry organizations), including the International Partnering Institute’s Partnering Champion Award. “Partnering is the tool we use to get award-winning results,” says Ghilotti.
But more on his mind when we talked was a certain Best Of the North Bay award. “It’s a coveted award,” he says, “especially in light of the quality of the competition in this category. We actually set winning this award as one of our long-term goals last year, so to win it this quickly is really gratifying. Being chosen as Best recognizes the significant effort and the hard work of Ghilotti Bros. employees—and it all goes back to James’ philosophy: ‘Earn respect by doing a job well, treat employees with courtesy and respect, and do good work for the community in which you live and work.’
“It’s also validation of our attempts to continue reinventing who we are and not resting on our laurels.”
