Willcorp Engineering – Built on the Back of Big Dreams, Hard Work and Determination

By Brian Hoover, Editor

SOMETIMES IT TAKES A DREAMER

Some people are willing to roll the dice, while others prefer stability by sticking with the safe bet. Dreamers see what others deem impossible and reach for it anyway. The dreamer is a risk-taker by nature that some say are not grounded in reality. Their reality is grounded in an abundance of hope and fueled by an innate ability to adapt and learn from every success and failure. They are driven by passion and seem to operate and live by more of what is possible and less of what is comfortable.

Chris Williamson, CEO/President.

Chris Williamson is a dreamer and has also been known to be a risk-taker. However, he will tell you that it is all grounded in realism and based on what can be accomplished through a solid plan and hard work. Chris comes from a family that had traditionally preferred the more consistent yet still rewarding route. Nearly his entire family has worked for Familian Pipe & Supply out of Los Angeles at one time or another. His grandfather worked for them, as did his brother, while his uncle put in 46 years and his father just shy of 50 years with the company. Chris also worked for Familian during summers and breaks from school but always had his sights set on becoming a firefighter. After high school, Chris attended his local college to pursue a degree in Fire Science. He spent two years as a volunteer with Local CDF Station 36 in Desert Hot Springs. He seemed to have his future figured out until getting burned in a fuel fire accident while riding motorcycles out in the desert. That experience changed the trajectory of his dreams to where he decided to pursue his other passion, heavy construction machinery. “I am not sure why I have always loved heavy construction equipment, but it is a passion that goes back to when I was a kid,” says Williamson. “I started with Kuykendall Construction in Palm Desert, where I served as a laborer, working with a pick and shovel on storm drain jobs. I did whatever I could to help out around the job site while keeping an envious eye on the operators and heavy machinery.”

Travis Johnson of Commercial Credit Group congratulates Chris Williamson on the financing and purchase of his new Cat 140H motor grader.

Golf course lake, stream and bridge build and remodel at The Colony in Rancho Mirage.

Williamson quickly worked his way up through the years to bigger and better roles, and before long, he was operating equipment. He moved on to work as an operator for Dennis Poe at Poe’s Grading and Excavation in Indio and Demo Unlimited in La Quinta. Eventually, Chris landed a job working for Mark and Leslie Collins at American Backhoe & Bobcat Services out of Vista. “I learned even more about this business while working for Mark and Leslie Collins,” says Williamson. “I am indebted to all of the companies that gave me a chance. It was from these learning experiences that I eventually gained the confidence to go out on my own.”

Above & below: Willcorp utilizing their Cat skip loader on finish grade and their Cat excavator on stormdrain work at the Monstore Garages Toybox facility in Palm Springs.

CHRIS WILLIAMSON TAKES A LEAP OF FAITH

Williamson established the DBA, Williamson Excavation, in February 2002. He remembers this bold decision and experience well because it was marked by both excitement and caution. “I remember how excited I was to start my own company and pursue my dreams. I hurried to tell my dad that I had left my job and had rented a backhoe to start my owner-operator business,” says Williamson. “His exact words were….’what are you stupid?’ You have no more business than the man on the moon starting your own company. Enough of this nonsense. Now go get your job back.” Chris knew that his dad meant well and was only looking out for him, but he was also crushed and disappointed by the reaction. “I decided to call a friend of my dad’s that owned a large, successful construction company and also knew me and my family since I was in diapers. His name was Scott Kincade from Kincade Industries out of Thousand Palms, and I let him know of my new venture,” says Williamson. “I told Scott that if he gave me a chance, I would be the best owneroperator that he ever had work for him. He responded by telling me to be out a Chino Hills High School at 7 a.m. the following Monday.” This was the chance Chris was looking for, as he worked tirelessly as an owner-operator for Kincade Industries for the next three years.

By 2006, Williamson was faced with the mandate of having a contractor’s license to continue doing business as an owneroperator. “Before 2006, I could operate with my liability insurance, but now I had to go and get my C12 contractor’s license. It turned out to be a real game-changer that afforded me many more opportunities,” says Williamson. “I started taking on larger grading projects versus the smaller underground and light grading jobs that I had been doing.” Williamson’s company grew to seven machines and a much larger crew of operators, and the future seemed bright and inviting. Then came the Great Recession of 2008 that changed everything for Chris and the rest of the construction industry. “I was able to hold on to a mini excavator, a skid steer, and one service truck. Things were slow for the next few years, but I used my free time wisely and was able to get my A license in 2011,” continues Williamson. “This broadened our horizon even further as I officially changed the name of the company in 2013 to Willcorp Engineering to represent our new status as an A licensed contractor. We have been growing sustainably ever since, and things have been very positive.”

Willcorp Engineering rented a Cat 623 scraper and a Cat 9,000 gallon waterpull from ECCO Equipment for their work at the Spotlight 29 Casino project in Coachella.

WILLCORP ENGINEERING OFFERS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SERVICES

Willcorp Engineering currently focuses on providing complete site work bids to contractors, developers, and other private and public industry stakeholders. This includes everything from demolition of existing structures to land clearing and mass, rough and finish grading capabilities. The site work package also consists of the wet utility work for storm drain, sewer, fire line and domestic water lines. “We also offer paving services where we self-perform the smaller site asphalt and sub out the larger paving work to Advantage Unlimited Paving out of Yucaipa,” says Williamson. “During the summers, we construct and remodel golf course lakes, as well as streams, rivers, waterfalls and pump stations. This, along with the grading and pipeline work, keeps us busy all summer long.”

Willcorp Engineering works primarily throughout the Coachella Valley but will venture out to surrounding areas and into the Inland Empire for the larger and longer interval projects. They have been running a smaller crew during COVID but have historically run a team of around 25 when things are booming. “The 2008 recession was the college experience for me that I was never able to finish. I learned a lot about risk and sustainable business practices,” says Williamson. “I started this whole thing with a penny cut in four ways, twice. I am now extremely cautious and methodical with financial decisions and how I grow my business.”

Above & below: Willcorp Engineering grading, excavating and lining the 13-acre foot reservoir at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.

ECCO EQUIPMENT COMES THROUGH FOR WILLCORP ENGINEERING

Chris counts himself lucky to have such great vendors that are there for him in good times and bad. “I am very loyal to our equipment and service providers, and we appreciate everything they continue to do for our company. I’m talking about people like Travis Johnson from Commercial Credit Group, who was there for us with creative financing options during the downturn and beyond. Companies like ECCO Equipment have also been there for us from the beginning with a large fleet of reliable rental machines and industry-leading operators when we need them.”

ECCO Equipment (ECCO) is a full-service rental company offering late model, well maintained, heavy equipment for the construction and mining industries. ECCO operates out of 13 locations throughout the western United States with an inventory of over 500 heavy earthmoving machines and watering equipment. “I use ECCO exclusively for all of our bare and operated rental equipment needs,” says Williamson. “We rent the bigger machines from ECCO like scrapers, dozers and large excavators. Vince Castellanos is our ECCO representative, and he is unbelievably reliable, delivering what we need every time no matter what the cost or situation.”

Willcorp Engineering most recently rented a dozer from ECCO a few weeks back for their work out at Two Bunch Palms Resorts in Desert Hot Springs. The soils engineering company hired them as an emergency contractor to help mitigate groundwater issues. “We were performing slope work at Two Bunch Palms Resorts, followed by a dewatering process and installation of a woven fabric membrane and gravel,” says Williamson. “We needed a specially equipped dozer, and ECCO made that happen for us like they always do.” Willcorp Engineering also relies on ECCO for long term rentals. “We rented a couple of Cat 623 scrapers along with a Cat D6 dozer and a water pull for our work in Brawley on an agricultural housing development,” continues Williamson. “We recently sold off our scrapers, and it is situations like this that we call on ECCO to provide us with operated equipment rental services. I know that I am getting the best that the industry has to offer when I turn to ECCO Equipment.” Chris Williamson also owns a fleet of Cat machines to include motor graders, wheel loaders, excavators, skip loaders, skid steers, as well as 2,000 and 4,000-gallon water trucks, two water towers, a 10-wheeler with a lowbed and several service trucks.

Chris Williamson and Willcorp Engineering sponsors Tyler Gandolfo, the son of Monstore Garages who races in District 37 motocross.

PAST AND CURRENT PROJECTS

The Coachella Valley keeps Willcorp Engineering busy with all of the hotels, casinos, golf courses, and other venues that are visited by thousands of tourists each year. “We are doing a lot of work at hotels and storage facilities right now, and most of our projects are confined to anywhere from five to 15 acres,” says Williamson. “We performed all of the grading, underground pipeline, demolition, and paving work at the Rancho Las Palmas shopping center in Rancho Mirage. We also did the clearing, mass and rough grading, and underground utility work for L’Horizon Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs. This is the type of work we perform regularly, and we expect that to continue into the foreseeable future.”

Above & Below: Willcorp Engineering also proudly sponsors the Problem Child nitro drag boat and funny car for Eddie Knox Racing.

Willcorp Engineering has also worked on a long list of casinos in their trade area. “We designed and built a 50-acre site area for Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. This included the construction of a 13-acre foot reservoir, a pump station, and a 35-acre of grass area for sports and events,” says Williamson. “We were brought in as the grading contractor and ended up taking on planning and design duties as well. This is a good example of some of the more challenging jobs we come across that require the type of skill, knowledge, and patience that some contractors don’t seem to be interested in bidding. This is just one of the examples of what sets us apart from your average, everyday grading contractor.”

Currently, Willcorp Engineering is working on two separate projects for Monstore Garages, a storage and garage condominium company out of Palm Springs. “We are working out at their new Toybox facility being built in Palm Springs, and the other is for their new location off of Gene Autry. We are performing all of the mass grading and directly following with the underground and wet utility work that includes storm drain, sewer, fire line and domestic,” says Williamson. “This is another example of the turnkey work we offer to our customers that keeps them calling us back time after time.”

IT TAKES A TEAM

Chris Williamson cannot get all of this work done without his office staff, operators, and laborers’ commitment and dedication. Chris hired his father five years ago and points out just how proud his father is of what his son has accomplished since 2002 when he was only 27 years old. “My dad (Micael Williamson) is a big help on the office and my sister (Michele Williamson) is our office manager. Michele has been with me since the get-go, and she is simply a Rockstar.”

Willcorp Engineering installing city sewer tie-in at L’Horizon Hotel and Spa project.

It is not all work and no play for Chris Williamson. His company is a sponsor for the Problem Child nitro drag boat and nitro funny car racing teams. “Eddie Knox is a life-long friend of mine and also happens to own Eddie Knox Racing. He runs the world’s fastest propeller-driven boat with an 8,000 horsepower Hemi and two screws. He also recently added the Problem Child nitro funny car, and his driver, Billy Morris, was named rookie of the year back in 2018 for the AA/Funny Car division,” continues Williamson. “I sponsor both the drag boat and funny car and help Eddie out whenever I can in the pits or whatever he needs me to do. My wife and I travel from event to event and have a ton of fun doing it.”

For more information on Willcorp Engineering, please visit their Facebook page by searching Willcorp or call their Palm Desert offices at (760) 347-1428. Cc