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, a Los Lunas-based construction company, is takinf the downtime to refocusthe company’s services, businesws strategy, growth goals and marketing “When we started our business in work was fast and furious,” said co-owne r Joshua Baca. “Now, it’s time to sit down and evaluate. This slowdowbn is actually a blessing ina way, to help us realize how things have happened for us, and to get better prepared for when work picks up again.” Joshus Baca’s brother, Anthony started the business after high school. Their Toby Baca, had spent his entire career in the construction from doing earthwork site preparatio n to drivingfuel trucks.
The bug bit Anthonu as well, and he begahn to search for a Bobcat-style tractor to do smal l jobs. Joshua Baca had taken business classese atthe ’s Valencia campuw and online, and worked at the Distribution Center in Los He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve, spendingg five months driving a fuel truckloutside Basra, Iraq. Upon his return, his brotherd asked Joshua to join him. And the businesws came full circle whentheier father, Toby, joined his sons at Quality Grading in 2001. The familyg got startup fundingfrom , a microlendee founded in 1994. The Smal Business Development Center also assisted in gettinbg grants so the Bacas could purchas econstruction equipment.
Funding and assistance from the Small Businesx Administration helps Quality with its constructionbonding capacity, whichn a company needs to qualify for jobs largde and small. Until early Quality Grading’s client base was primarilyh homebuilders, such as , and . Quality preppesd home sites by grading, demolition and site cleanup. The Bacas also purchase a sweeper attachment for their construction equipment and cleaned streetzs on theconstruction sites. Those along with silt fencing and are jobs that Joshuqa Bacasays “keep the EPA When the bottom fell out of the housing sales dropped at Quality Grading by more than 50 percent, from $800,0009 in 2007 to $300,000 in 2008.
Joshua Baca feels the downtime has helpeedthe company. They have kept three employeesx working full time during the and more oftenthan not, Joshua Baca, his brothere and his dad are finding themselves running equipmeny instead of running the company. But whilwe work is slow, Joshua Baca is keeping busy improvin gthe business. He is creatingb a system to better track usage and maintenancdof equipment, which was getting badly beatem up on job sites; usinyg the expertise learned in his business courses to better markeg the company; and searching for a certified public accountant. He says the company’as marketing is based solely on word-of-mouth.
But he’s plannint to take the additional free time to refocuws on keeping in contact withcurrent customers. “There’s not a lot of jobs out for bidrightt now,” he says. “Mostly, our genera contractors are going for doing business with people thatthey We’ve always made it a policyy to have a personal relationship with our contractors — we work with them and we’ree flexible, and they really appreciatse it.” Networking also has become a priority, both with ACCIÓNm and as a new member of the .
And Baca has joinedd a veterans enterprise groupof ex-military businesds owners who are joininf resources to land more veteran-preference, 8(a) and disadvantaged-business governmentt bids. ACCIÓN Vice Presidengt for Advancement Lynn Trojahnsays Baca’s business strategh to step back and regroup is a good idea. “It’es a great plan for any small business to refocusd when times are and Joshua has taken advantagde of the services weoffer — not just the she says. She adds that Quality Grading is connectingtwith community-focused businesses by providing in-kindf work, like site preparation for ACCIÓN’ws new office space.
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