Monterey Mechanical: 80 Years of Reliable Services and Projects
Monterey County Plumbing was founded in 1942 during the heyday of World War II. At the time, President Roosevelt had just authorized the largest armaments production in U.S. history, so the primary focus of Monterey County Plumbing in the beginning was to support barracks construction for the war effort buildup.
In 1946, the company relocated to its current corporate headquarters in Oakland, California, and became the main plumbing subcontractor for Stolte Company, working in plumbing, HVAC and non-residential utilities.
Mechanical subcontracting was added to the Monterey portfolio in 1968 with the Oso Pump Station project, built to deliver water into the Los Angeles basin via the Department of Water Resources aqueduct system. By the mid-1980s, Monterey had come into its own as a prime contractor on public works projects throughout the Bay Area. In 1996, the company acquired Contra Costa Metal Fabricators in Concord, California, giving them the capability to perform custom industrial and specialty metal product fabrication and installation.
Now known as Monterey Mechanical, the company has experienced tremendous growth in its 80 years of innovative engineering solutions, accelerated project delivery and lower costs. Their projects can be found throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and California, Colorado, Alaska, Nevada and Micronesia.
“We’re more diverse than many. Our core business is the construction of water and wastewater treatment facilities, which is a pretty unique market,” said Jim Troup, president and CEO. “There are all disciplines at work on a job, and with our eight labor agreements we are capable of self-performing excavation, concrete, metalwork, piping, machinery installation, HVAC, odor control and more on a project. It’s a very sequential process and very complicated work. In the Bay Area, I don’t know of another SMACNA contractor with our operational diversity.”
Troup pointed to several examples that showcase Monterey’s expertise, including the company’s biggest job to date — a $2.5 billion upgrade and modernization project for the San Francisco Biosolids Digester Facilities. The Monterey team’s scope of work stands at $65 million, and a joint venture with MWH Constructors brings another $228 million. Their combined efforts will help replace and relocate the outdated existing solids treatment facilities with more efficient and modern technologies to produce higher quality biosolids, capture and treat odors more efficiently and maximize energy recovery.
The Monterey Mechanical line of work can be especially hazardous, and the team takes safety seriously by maintaining a certification with the Common Ground Alliance. This first-of-its-kind excavation safety program entails a rigorous evaluation process to ensure best-in-class safety practices are enforced. Monterey’s safety team includes a Director of Health and Safety, a Field Safety Manager and a Field Coordinator, who support all projects and maintain all programs in compliance with local and state agencies.
In addition to water and wastewater treatment plants, Monterey also specializes in the construction of large chemical facilities, power generation plants and other complex industrial facilities, offering full-service construction, emergency services and alternative project delivery methods.
“For many years in California, public works projects were required to be awarded to the lowest bidder. Over the last few years, legislation has been passed to allow public agencies to use alternative delivery methods statewide, which allows a best value approach,” Troup said. “To me that’s a huge change in the delivery mechanism in the public works market. Your qualifications, track record, experience all mean something, and it should.”
For Troup, creating a workplace culture where employees feel valued, respected and part of something bigger is just as crucial to the company’s success as the complex work they perform in their community.
“Different generations have different things that are very important to them, and we’ve learned how important community service is to the younger generations.”
Since Troup took over as president in 2011, he has helped initiate more community service opportunities. It started with beach cleanup days and has steadily grown to include coat drives, neighborhood cleanup initiatives, blood drives, food drives, toy drives and a summertime backpack-filling event to make sure Oakland students have the essentials to succeed in school. One of the company’s favorite service-related activities was in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, where the team built play structures to be donated where most needed.
Monterey Mechanical is a proud longtime member of Bay Area SMACNA.