Ghilotti expands in public works

<p>Bolstered by a boom in road projects, Ghilotti Construction has formed a new division for the public works sector while still serving the strong residential development market.</p><p>Sonoma County’s largest roads and utilities contractor is on pace for a record-setting year. The company is projecting $100 million in revenues with more than half coming from public works projects, including the massive Highway 101 widening through Santa Rosa.</p><p>Those projects also can be the most challenging given stringent deadlines and budgets, prompting Ghilotti’s changes at the top to maximize business opportunities, said Dick Ghilotti, owner and president of the Santa Rosa company.</p><p>“Public works contracts require specialized expertise that is different from our commercial and private projects,” he said. “We want to be able to deliver quality of our customers in both of these distinct markets.”</p><p>Brian Ongaro will continue to oversee all projects as senior vice president of operations. Ali Yazdi takes over as vice president of heavy construction and public works. Bradford Simpkins becomes the new vice president of commercial and private construction.</p><p>Ghilotti Construction has 325 employees and works primarily in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties.</p><p>— Michael Coit</p>