Blocka Construction Inc. Set To Celebrate 30th Anniversary
Blocka Construction Inc. Set To Celebrate 30th Anniversary
In the early 1990s, Bob Blocka worked in Detroit, where he was a project manager for a contracting company. When his job brought he and his wife, Jean, to the Bay Area in 1991, they assumed it would be a short-term stay while he completed work on the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont.
“We were going to move back East but we liked the Bay Area so much that we decided to start our own company,” Bob said.
Blocka Construction Inc. (BCI) was officially founded in 1993, getting its start performing small industrial contracts for NUMMI. Because work at the car plant was cyclical, BCI looked to diversify into other markets. Today, BCI is a unique company comprised of three divisions — industrial/ commercial electrical, industrial sheet metal/mechanical and general engineering.
“After my electrical apprenticeship, I ended up working for a contractor that exposed me to all the various trades,”
Bob said. “Then when I became a project manager, I was running jobs with all the trades. That’s why we ended up creating a company that does multiple trades, which gives us a distinct advantage over others who may only have one of them.”
Each division at BCI works together to guarantee the most comprehensive project management available to clients.
“We specialize in water/wastewater, transit and private industrial work,” Bob said. “For the water treatment plant projects, we’re generally building and installing industrial ductwork, fiberglass reinforced ductwork, odor control systems and ventilation systems. With BART, we did their emergency tunnel ventilation project, which involved ductwork that was 14’ x 14’ made out of ¼-inch plates. There are not many contractors who are equipped to take on that kind of work.”
The BCI team has also performed recent work at the Tesla factory in Fremont, performing spray booth modifications in the paint shop and installing VOC abatement systems to help reduce harmful emissions.
BCI works hard to foster a great company culture, so much so that nearly 20 of their 80+ employees have been with them for more than a decade … some of them, two.
“We’re a family-owned business and we treat our employees like family,” Bob said. “Actually, some of our family members also work in our business. We spend so much time together that it allows us to build closer relationships with the people who work for us, and I think it makes us have a good team spirit within the company.”
For 25 years, BCI has worked hard to invest in their employees and found value in the educational offerings of Bay Area SMACNA, particularly the Project Management Certification course. They’ve also taken advantage of the Summer Intern Program, and have hired several of their past interns after they completed college.
In 2023, BCI is excited to celebrate 30 years in business.