Dennis
Aguilar is the owner of AM Contracting, LLC. Dennis immigrated to the United
States from Honduras in 2002, at the age of 17. He started working in siding
construction company, earning $4 an hour when he first entered the industry. “I
told myself someday that I will learn how to do the work and I will start my
own business,” Dennis recalls. Four years later, he joined forces with his
brother Pedro to start what today is AM Exteriors. After a brief return to his
home country, Dennis decided to branch off on his own. In 2012, he opened AM
Contracting, a full-service siding contractor that has grown to be a
well-respected construction company in Washington.
We
recently caught up with Dennis to see how he’s been doing, where AM Contracting
is headed and ABC of Western Washington’s (ABCWW) help along the way.
How has AM Contracting evolved
over recent years and where are you headed?
When we
started in 2012, we were doing siding, windows, doors and contracting in that
area. We have moved into the general contracting space within the last two
years. We’ve started building houses from the ground up. We’ve been blessed
with the opportunity and growth AM Contracting has had. I always thank God for
giving me the opportunity to achieve my goal. Last year, we built a couple
houses in Snoqualmie and have a couple more coming this year. We do exterior
and interior work, so we’ve really expanded operations as we moved into general
contracting. The last six months have been very busy for us and we have had
incredible growth this year. I have more than 100 employees on our jobsites and
about 10 projects going on right now.
Has ABCWW helped you grow AM
Contracting?
ABCWW
has really helped my company grow. We were new to the market and they helped
introduce us to the industry. Like I said, in the last six months we have had
such great growth because ABCWW has helped introduce our company to many other
general contractors and we are a familiar name now. ABCWW has so many resources
that we have taken advantage of and have helped us grow, from safety to
educational programs. I’ve been through the Rising Stars program myself, and
I’ve sent many of my guys to take their classes. They’ve been great and taught
us a lot.
What has been the value of ABCWW
membership for your business?
There
are so many benefits that come along with it. On safety, they have been such a
big help. We take safety very seriously in our line of work. At least twice a
year I send everyone in my crews to ABCWW for safety training. ABCWW teaches
everything and we’ve been very appreciative for their work with safety. Many
general contractors ask me who has helped us out on safety and I always point
to ABCWW. Not only do their classes help you improve your skills, they’re also
great ways to connect with others in the industry. We’ve made many contacts
through our participation in those programs and that has allowed us to
introduce ourselves to the industry. The networking part of it has been a great
benefit to AM Contracting – everyone there is very friendly and treats us
well.
They’re also
on top of every issue. ABCWW was on top of the COVID-19 situation and helped us
with understanding the safety measures and what precautions to take.
Is there a project that sticks
out to you as your favorite?
I would
say, from the last two years, my favorite project was the Hyatt Regency on Lake
Washington in Southport. We partnered with AM Exteriors on the project. It was
a big job, and we’ve taken on some huge jobs lately, ones that take a while to
complete. There’s definitely something very rewarding about doing a good job on
these huge projects, and it’s an incredible feeling when we finish and to see
the client happy with our work. That’s how we know we have our best people in
the field and we are putting our best foot forward.