State Sen. Mark Leno honored Cal-Con Pumping LLC today as Small Business of the Year in District 3, which encompasses Marin County, parts of Sonoma County and San Francisco.
The Presidio-based company provides concrete pouring services for construction projects. They have participated in projects like San Francisco General Hospital and the San Francisco Public Utilities Building.
Cal-Con Pumping was recently awarded $2.95 million in contracts for the Doyle Street Replacement Project, improving the southern approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, according to Leno’s office.
“The Doyle Street project has been a blessing. We’ve been able to buy new equipment and hire new staff,” said Cal-Con Pumping CEO Julie Berry.
“In the recession, this has just been a successful story,” she said.
Cal-Con Pumping uses heavy machinery requiring precise operating engineers to disperse large amounts of concrete. When the company was founded in 2007, they had only one truck but now they have six trucks and employ 10 full-time employees.
Leno said he chose Cal-Con Pumping because of its record of success, ability to handle large important contracts, and because of the strides that a woman-owned business has made in the male-dominated construction industry.
“There are certainly a lot of great local small businesses to make such a selection, but Julie Berry and Cal-Con Pumping stand out as a local success story. Certainly the fact that she has drive in what is traditionally a male-dominated industry makes her success all the more notable,” Leno said.
“Also uncommon is the ability in which she has been able to win large contracts that often elude small businesses. When public projects are issuing contracts, we want more of those contracts to locally owned small businesses,” Leno added.
Berry said she is excited by the honor. “The recognition means a lot to me, means a lot to my staff, and means a lot to my family. It’s been tough during these economic times but we’ve been very successful, I’m very glad to be honored and recognized by Sen. Leno,” Berry said.
Berry hopes to broaden the scope of what the company can offer. “We’re going to expand in the future, we’d like to get into forming and finishing, and be a full solution for the contractor,” she said.
Scott Morris, Bay City News
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