Vila Construction is a family-owned construction company founded in 1916 in Richmond, California. It is now entering its second century and expanding its operations throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. The company has maintained long-term relationships with clients and unions by prioritizing honesty, fairness, and high-quality work. On a recent project renovating a county office building, Vila completed the work three months ahead of schedule through strategic planning and collaboration between trades. The company looks forward to continuing its legacy of over 100 years of construction work in the region.

1. the northern california carpenter6
Four generations in,
Vila Construction
enjoys a growth spurt
Entering its second century,
Vila Construction, is stepping up
its game. With a long track record
of tenant improvement, historic
restoration and general contracting
in the East Bay and North Bay,
the family-owned company is
now making its presence felt
throughout the region, opening
new offices in San Francisco, the
South Bay and the Peninsula.
“Family-owned” is an under-
statement. Founded in 1916 by Joe
Vila, an immigrant from Spain, the
Richmond-based company’s first
big contracts involved relocating
homes along the Eastshore
Freeway corridor, as well as
underground utility work. The
next generation, Henry, George and Bill Vila,
followed up on Joe’s work, taking the company
into more general contracting. Generation III—
Bob, Joe and Rich Vila—led the company to
fulfill a wide variety of contracts, including work
with the University of California and important
historic restoration jobs. The fourth generation,
including Henry Vila, Vice-President for
Construction, is poised to expand the company’s
reach throughout the Bay Area and Northern
California.
The Vila family recipe for continuity and
growth is pretty simple. “We were all taught to
look people in the eye, to be honest and fair, and
to do good work, so we could sleep at night,”
says President/CEO Rich Vila. “We’ve never
been out for the fast buck. We want to build
long-lasting relationships with our clients.”
The company has been union “for as long
as I can remember,” he adds, “maybe starting
back in the ’40s or ’50s. We’ve always valued
that relationship.” The relationship goes both
ways, as Vila has gone out of its way to bring on
foremen directly from the union.
Senior Project Manager Pericles DeAvila,
Local 713, agrees. “Working union brings us
people with training, know-how, experience and
capacity. That means a huge savings
for the owner of any project.”
“WE KNOCKED IT
OUT OF THE PARK”
Vila’s work as general contractor
on the demo and rehab project at
the nine-story Alameda County
office building on Jackson Street in
Oakland illustrates their approach.
The big news here is that Vila will
complete the project, scheduled
for nine months, in 90 days. “We
knocked it out of the park!” says
drywall Project Manager Danny
Lopes, Local 9068.
“It starts with the crew,” says
Project Superintendent Pariz Nunez,
Local 713. But it’s also about
strategy. Working with Nunez,
fellow project manager Sean
Manion and other company staff,
and with a collaborative group of
subcontractors, DeAvila was able to
develop a scheduling approach to get
it done.
“We planned it so that all nine
floors were working all the time,
not one at a time, so you had all the
trades in there at once,” DeAvila said.
“You could have demo going on three floors and
electrical work going on another three floors.
There was no dead time. It was kind of like
musical chairs.”
On September 25, Vila Construction co-
hosted a “thank you” barbecue with Daley’s
DrywallandTaping,amajorsubcontractoronthe
project. “You guys have done an amazing job,”
Henry Vila told the crew at the barbecue. Other
subcontractors on the Jackson Street project,
performed under a Project Labor Agreement
with the county, include Arrow Acoustics, Freas
Plastering, Alcal Specialty Contracting, Global
SDI and B-K Mill & Fixture.
Vila’s not calling it quits with four generations
of Bay Area work under its belt; there’s a lot
more to come. “They’ve been around a long time,
they’ve done great work, and now they’re looking
to expand,” says Nunez. “I want to be a part of it.”
Joe Vila, an immigrant from Spain, founded
Vila Construction in 1916.
Company President/CEO Rich Vila, Vice-President Henry
Vila, drywall Project Manager Danny Lopes, Local 9068, and
Senior Project Manager Pericles DeAvila, Local 713.
Brothers Lorenzo, left, and Joaquin Valdez, right, both
members of Local 180, with Project Superintendent Pariz
Nunez, Local 713.
Guillermo Lopez, Local 22, installing new cabinets at the
1111 Jackson Street rehab project.
‘We were all taught
to look people
in the eye, to be
honest and fair,
and to do good
work, so we could
sleep at night.’