Having a successful start-up business is a feat of which Jesse Vigil and Eric Norris are immensely proud. Ten years ago, the two founded Mid-Valley Commercial Construction Inc. in Salem, Ore.
Mid-Valley Commercial Construction Talks Optimism and Concerns
In this episode of If Walls Could Talk, John Wyatt, editor of Walls & Ceilings magazine speaks with Jesse Vigil, President of Mid-Valley Commercial Construction and Eric Norris, Vice President at the company, located out of Salem, Oregon. These two and the company are featured on the cover of em>Walls & Ceilings in the October issue.
Mid-Valley does work in many different areas of the industry, including exterior and interior metal stud framing, wood framing, acoustical systems, wood ceilings, painting, drywall, taping, insulation, doors, frames and hardware. The company is a member of the Associated Wall & Ceiling Contractors of Oregon and SW Washington, as well as the Associated General Contractors of America.
Fast-forward to the present day and the contractor is having its best year yet. The pandemic slowed business a bit, but the company is back to growing its customer base, one project at a time.
“We grew extremely fast the first five years,” says Vigil, the company’s president. “Unfortunately, with COVID, we went into more of a survival mode and had a few flat years with no growth. Post-COVID, 2024 looks to be our best year to date.”
The company has had success this year despite Oregon being slow to get back to normal after the pandemic. However, business is thriving and more success looks to be on the horizon.
“The economy and construction sector in the Northwest isn’t performing as well as other areas of the country, but we have some good opportunities on the horizon with some of our best clients in 2024 and 2025,” says Norris, vice president of Mid-Valley. “The local construction climate has been tough with fewer jobs to bid on and tighter margins.”
Getting Through the Difficulty
Both Vigil and Norris had a history in the construction industry before Mid-Valley. Vigil is a third-generation carpenter who started with residential work and then went through the Carpenters’ Union apprenticeship. Meanwhile, Norris worked at a company in Portland, Oregon, for seven years as an inside salesman and estimator, then moved to a different contractor in Tigard, Oregon, for 11 years before starting Mid-Valley.
The company usually has between 80-100 employees; yet the contractor passes on some of its success, making them more than just employees.
“The business is doing well,” Vigil says. “We’ve been able to be profitable while continuing to share the wealth with our employees, which is one of our original core values.”
Vigil adds that the company’s backlog of projects has been less than usual due to the industry’s competitiveness, but the contractor is getting through it.
“We have a solid backlog to complete the remainder of the year,” Norris says. “The climate is tough in the Northwest with strong competition and tight margins.”