Richard Montiel, owner of Calmex Engineering Inc. (CEI), does the great bulk of his work (95%) paving freeway lanes. But let him loose in the sand, then you'll see some really fast work. Like the two track records he set recently at the Blythe Raceway.
With success in his paving business, and success in his love and hobby, sand drag racing, one can see that Richard is highly focused on what he does well. There is a simple logic to his life: choose what you like, spend time learning it inside-out, then bravely step where your desires lead.
When Richard is asked, how long have you been involved in the paving industry, he'll answer, "all my life." At the age of 18, Richard went to work for local asphalt contractors, hauling sand, gravel, and asphalt. That was in 1957. A number of years later, he hired on with All American Asphalt. He helped them build, and run, their first asphalt plant; then he shifted to the field, running pavers and laying asphalt. He stayed with them for 15 years-from 1969 to 1982. After a short stint of working for various other contractors, Richard decided in 1994 to head out on his own.

Richard Montiel's "Top Dog" shown here at the Blythe Raceway where
Richard first raced his new Top Fuel dragster. He turned a lot of heads
when he broke the record, 2.77, with a time of 2.682. As if that wasn't
enough, that same day, he broke the record again! This time with a
time of 2.676. You can view the video of Richard breaking the track
record by going to www.sanddrags.com.

It is the same with his racing life. Nearly all of this life he has been involved in racing of one sort or another. He has raced motorcycles, boats, sand buggies, cars-and now, sand dragsters. He holds many records in this sport where you race an opponent down a 300 foot sand drag strip. The intensity is reflected in the speeds commonly attained, often over 139 mph. The recent debut of his new Top Dog dragster at Blythe, also marked his step up from the Fast Four Class to the Top Fuel Class. It must have been something to watch, as, for his debut, he broke the record, 2.77, with a time of 2.682. As if that wasn't enough, that same day, he broke the record again! This time with a time of 2.676. You can view the video of Richard breaking the track record by going to www.sanddrags.com; and see additional photos at www.sandtimes.com.

Pictured left and above is Richard Montiel's "Top Dog" sand
dragster before leaving the Fast Four Class to step up to
the Top Fuel Class. He holds many records in this sport where
you race an opponent down a 300 foot sand drag strip.

Many savvy entrepreneurs achieve success by noticing an overlooked niche. And so it was with Richard Montiel, who, when he struck out on his own, noticed a need for minority contractors in this industry. With help from other friends in the business, Richard created his own company, Calmex. Both of Richard's parents, and even grand-parents who immigrated from Mexico, are Mexican. He and his parents were born in Tucson, Arizona; later moving to Santa Ana, where he grew up.
And so it was, with an initial investment of $5,000, one Cedarapids paving machine, and one roller, Calmex Engineering Inc. was launched. The original office was in Corona, but then moved to Riverside, where he and his family reside today. Hard to believe, that in just six short years, these humble beginnings produced a thriving company that now earns $10 million a year.

As to the other necessary ingredients of success, Richard gives gracious credit to his estimators, Ed Valenzuela and Bruce Ortiz; his General Superintendent, Dave Ortiz; his office staff, Barbara Appleby and Michelle Shea; and his two full-time paving crews and hand crew. All in all, this union contractor has a total of 30 field professionals and six inside employees.
Most of Calmex's work is done as a subcontractor to prime contractors. They have done many high-profile jobs. They were responsible for paving much of the parking lots and roadways for Ontario Airport (as a subcontractor to All American Asphalt). This $3 million job required the installation of 90,000 tons of asphalt. Likewise they performed much of the paving at John Wayne Airport (as a subcontractor to Ortiz Enterprises). In excelling in this FAA Spec job, Calmex was awarded with 106% pay for exemplary work. Calmex has done work at LAX, and also on the I-10 freeway at Montclair-as a sub to Morrison Knudson. Currently they are in the process of completing a $4 million job for the Prime Contractor, Peter Kiewit. This job known as "Level 3" involves the installation of fibre optic cable from San Diego to Yuma, Arizona. They will perform all the trenching, then pave over when the cable is installed.

Calmex performs much of its paving at night when material
is pletiful and the climate is cooler. They are shown here night paving
on the 15 Freeway.

Though busy with work, Richard reserves time for his family-two daughters and a son. They enjoy many activities together. Some-times they will go to their place on the Colorado River, where Richard has his 21 foot cruiser. And, of course, the rest of his precious spare time is spent with his favorite sport-sand dragging!
Richard is happy to indicate the many recent improvements in the asphalt industry. With new mixes and better methods, more options are open to the owner and public. Some benefits are smoother roadways and longer-lasting pavements, resulting in ecological and economic benefits to all. With attention to excellence, it's no wonder Calmex Engineering Inc. has achieved such success.
With this successful formula, Richard Montiel expects his company to keep growing; and perhaps with the addition of an extra paving crew, his business will double in the next five years.