9 minute read
From Concrete Dreams to Multifaceted Success: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Servando Requena
By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor / Photos contributed by: San Luis Equipment Rental
The California construction and equipment rental industry is ripe for the taking. All you need to do is believe in yourself and seize the opportunity. Sometimes when you open a door, others seem to open by themselves with opportunities you may have never thought of before. This is a story about one such entrepreneur who did just that by starting one business that led to several others, and he is just getting started.
From laborer to concrete construction business owner Servando Requena began working as a laborer for a general engineering construction firm in 1999. Within a year, Requena was already a foreman and things were going in the right direction. By 2008, the Great Recession had arrived, and the company he worked for did not have much work, so Requena moved on to work for another concrete construction company out of Lake Elsinore. Again, Requena rose to the top by working hard and leading by example. He soon became a foreman, learning the ins and outs of the concrete construction business, from construction techniques to how to properly build and maintain customer relationships. Then, in 2016, another door opened, and an opportunity was presented to Requena to start his own concrete business with his first project already waiting for him. The developer of a new 18-unit apartment complex in Los Angeles asked Requena to do the concrete work. This would include two subterranean garages and all the other concrete work, including footings, shotcrete walls, concrete walls, masonry walls, elevator footings, slab on grade, and the podium concrete decks. Requena jumped at the opportunity and hired eight experienced concrete craftsmen, including some he had worked with in the past.
This stroke of luck and good fortune, along with Requena’s substantial capabilities and knowledge, led to more work, and soon the word was out on the professionalism and reliability that was available from Requena’s new company, San Luis Concrete Corp. His growing enterprise was now offering concrete construction services to include foundations, sitework, footings, sidewalks, curbs, gutter, flatwork, and other structural concrete solutions.
An Equipment Rental Business is Born
Requena had been purchasing equipment for use in his concrete business ever since that first project in Los Angeles. “I had been purchasing equipment for use in my concrete business, and it occurred to me that there was an opportunity to rent some of the equipment. I began in 2020 by renting my skid steer to my previous employer, he rented that machine for four years. I had around ten pieces that included the skid steer, a telescopic handlers, backhoes, excavators, and miniexcavators, along with scissor lifts and other smaller implements. So, in 2021, I established San Luis Equipment Rental and began renting from my property in San Bernardino.
Once again, Requena took advantage of the connections with the other trades that were working alongside him on job sites each day. The framer and structural steel subcontractors would rent his telescopic handlers, while the plumbing company would rent a mini-excavator and skid steer loader. “We were soon doing well enough to begin adding new machines and now have more than 250 pieces in our rental fleet,” says Requena. “In the rental business, you listen to your customers and purchase the machines that you know they will want to rent. We turned to SoCal JCB to start adding these machines to our fleet. They allowed us to demo every machine before purchasing, and before long, a large percentage of our rental fleet consisted of new JCB machines.”
San Luis Equipment Rental has purchased 40 JCB pieces of equipment from SoCal JCB over the past several years, to include scissor lifts (19’, 26’, 32’, and 40’), telescopic handlerss (10,000 lb. and 12,000 lb.), 48’ articulated booms, 5,000 lb. reach forklifts, mini-excavators, backhoes, and breaker attachments. “We are proud to have so many JCB machines in our fleet, and having a dealer that is there for you no matter the circumstance is also very comforting in this competitive rental business. Our customers appreciated renting late model JCB machines. They have commented on the smooth operation they experience with JCB, especially with units like the 48” boom lift, where stability means everything when you are up in that bucket,” says Requena. “Ignacio Verduzco is our personal representative from SoCal JCB, and he is always there for us whenever we need him. We had an issue yesterday with one of our JCB units, and SoCal JCB was onsite within three hours and got everything resolved quickly. The service after the sale means everything to a growing rental business like ours and although we do a lot of our own maintenance, SoCal JCB is right there when we need warranty work done.”
Larry Johnson was recently brought on board to San Luis Equipment Rental to serve as the General Manager of operations. Larry has been in the rental industry for many years, working for companies like Neff Rentals and Sunbelt Rentals. “What we offer here at San Luis Equipment Rental is that extra personal touch and service that may be lacking with
{ Continued from page 20 } with some of those large corporate box store rental companies. We know we are smaller, but we have an awesome newer fleet and we promise to always go the extra mile,” says Johnson. “We also want to create an atmosphere where people want to work. We offer a wide-open future with availability of advancement as we continue to grow our brand to several more locations. Things are very exciting right now and companies like JCB are going to continue to be a part of our future.”
Johnson makes it clear that although he just recently started with San Luis Equipment Rental, he intends to hit the ground running. “I have just started getting our new systems in place, and my management style is a bit different than other supervisors. I am more of a coach or mentor and less of a boss type. I have a lot of experience with the heavier earthmoving rental equipment and that is an area that we will expand further into very soon. We will add what the market will support, and if that means 50,000 lb. excavators or even 100,000 lb. excavators, then that is what we will add. Servando is open-minded and even thinking about adding a new JCB 50,000 lb. excavator and a few more JCB backhoes in the near future.” San Luis Rental Equipment offers their rentals primarily to the Inland Empire area, over to Los Angeles, but they will go anywhere in California if a customer deems it necessary.”
Trucking & Transportation Division
Requena is a true entrepreneur who is able to envision opportunities as they arise within his daily work environment. He recognized the need for trucking materials in and out of any job site and therefore invested in 10 Super 10 dump trucks, an enterprise that almost immediately succeeded. His wife, Ana, is very important to this recent venture and takes care of the accounting. “Our trucking and transportation division is available on an operated rental basis and most of our work is with brokers, with around 20 percent utilized by concrete, demolition, and excavating companies that we have developed a relationship with over the years,” continues Requena. “We have several trucks that have been working out on the I-10 Freeway for the past three years. This division is growing fast and we will continue to expand as demand continues to rise.”
Developer of Homes in the High Desert
Requena has also dipped his hand into residential development over recent years. His homebuilding company is currently operating under San Luis Concrete Corp., but papers are currently in the works to register this work under a separate corporation.
“We started by purchasing a lot in 2018 in Hesperia, followed by doing the plans and acquiring the permits. We then built the home, put it on the market, sold it, and then repeated the same process,” says Requena. “Right now, we have two more single-family units built and ready for sale. One is 2,115 square feet with a three-car garage, and another 2,853 square foot, five-bedroom option. We also recently received permits for the construction of our first small track home project in Hesperia. This development will have seven two-story units available from 2,183 square feet to 2,979 square feet.” In addition to constructing single-family homes, Requena has also been approved and begun construction on a 36-unit multi-family apartment complex in Hesperia.
If one takes the time to study those that have been successful in business, they will find that it all begins with a dream and the willingness to work smart and tirelessly to achieve success.
Servando Requena is a family man with five children who has found the time and energy to build four successful business models in a relatively short period of time. This is a true success story and I for one am excited to see what will come next for Servando Requena and his hard-working and dedicated team of employees. For more information on San Luis Concrete Corp. or San Luis Equipment Rental, please visit www.sanluisconcrete.com or www.sanluisequipmentrental.com or call (909) 713-2318.” Cc
