Commemorating the Career of Jose Gonzales

WHITTIER, CA – January 5, 2017 – Jose Gonzales – TI Superintendent – Recently retired on December 28, 2016 after nearly twenty years with Oltmans Construction Co. He started in 1997 as Carpenter Apprentice on his first project, the Ashland Chemical Facility, and was quickly recognized as a strong leader and hard worker.

What do you remember most about working at Oltmans?

I remember working with all of the superintendents. I became a Tenant Improvements project closer, so to speak, coming in towards the end of a project to go through the punch list and finish the final touches before turning over to the owner. Every job is different and unique. I got to work very closely with the other superintendents, which was a great experience.

How was your overall experience at Oltmans?

Overall, working with Oltmans has been a pleasure.  My experience working with the guys have been amazing.  As I said before, our crew did a lot of the close-out work for TIs, so there was a lot of high-end finishes.  It was quite an experience because of all the high-quality work that had to be done, and at the end you have a really beautiful project to look at.  It was a lot of fun. Every project was unique.  You never get bored.

What was your favorite project?

Working on Emulex in Costa Mesa was a great experience, same with Deckers in Goleta. The creative projects are definitely memorable. My favorite projects tend to be the unique, high-end jobs. These also tend to be the most challenging, but who doesn’t like a good challenge? What makes it enjoyable is finding all the tiny details that generally get overlooked in plans and finding solutions for them on the spot. We are in the business of problem solving, and at the end of the day really great and unique projects are realized.

Any plans for retirement?

I have always wanted to travel. I didn’t do much of it when I was younger, so I would really love to go out and visit some national parks, especially Yellowstone National Park. Any place that has great scenery, really. Even if it means going on a cruise or flying somewhere and simply enjoying the view.

Any last words of advice?

For young carpenters, I would advise to do your best because you are working for one of the best companies around.  You are going to be learning new things every day.  I am still learning things, and I have been in the trade for a few decades now.  Also, don’t be afraid to learn or pick up ideas from other people, superintendents, carpenters, etc.  We are all working towards the same goal in a project, and someone may have a trick, or a better way of doing something.  Be open to ideas.

I worked my way up fairly quickly by working hard and learning from other people.  Being able to jump into different projects you need to learn how to hit the ground running, and that all comes with experience.  Strive to always come to work ready to learn and improve your skills and craft. Every day.

On behalf of everyone here at Oltmans, we thank you, Jose, for all of your hard work and dedication, and may you enjoy your travels wherever they take you.

– Joe Pike, Director, Field Operations