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Arturo 鈥淎rt鈥� Cortez has a family history that goes back to well before Texas was part of the United States. He had relatives at the Alamo who fought alongside Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett. When Texas became a state, all of his ancestors who survived became citizens, but they never lost their Hispanic roots.

Generations later, his father moved to Oregon in the late 1940s to work harvests in the Willamette Valley.聽 He saw other opportunities and eventually opened his own company, but maintained relationships with the farm workers he befriended.聽 They became almost like extended family.

鈥淚 grew up around farm workers,鈥� Cortez said.

He became aware of how some workers were taken advantage of, subjected to terrible living conditions, had little or no medical coverage, and often ended up short-changed on their pay. One day at the Centro Cultural in Cornelius, he saw Cesar Chavez, the famed advocate and leader of the civil rights and fair labor movements for Hispanics on the West Coast. Chavez was so inspiring that Art’s father became active in organized labor and that lesson stuck with the young Art Cortez.

Cortez was 15 when he started working for his father’s residential drywall company. When he graduated from high school, he already knew that he wanted to get into the construction industry as a career. He was 21 in 1991, when he worked with other contractors 鈥� including AKC Inc. 鈥� on custom homes that typically were priced at over $700,000 each.

He was enjoying steady work and a good income, but he wanted more. He wanted to learn more about the various trades and especially the business aspects of construction. He also witnessed abuse of workers, particularly Latinos, at the hands of unscrupulous contractors 鈥� treatment that reminded him of what he’d seen as a boy in the agricultural fields of the Willamette Valley. Unsafe working conditions, long hours with no overtime, pay below scale and sometimes below minimum wage were not uncommon. It compelled Cortez to become a champion for those whose voices were not being heard.

Over time, his expertise grew.聽 He worked as a superintendent for Martin Construction in 1997-99, and in spite of moving steadily into managerial roles, he joined a union.

He later went on to work for several contractors, including Performance Western Partitions and Cascade Acoustic.聽 At the same time, he encouraged more Latinos to join the union to help keep them from being exploited.

鈥淭here were contractors who were really taking advantage of the Latino work force, especially if either the worker or someone in his immediate family was not a citizen,鈥� Cortez said. 鈥淚t really made me angry that those men were working just as hard and just as well as any other crews, and they’re getting less than half the pay for the same job.

鈥淚 really wanted to do something to stop that. I saw the union as their best protection and really impressed on people that this would be good for everyone.鈥�

In 2007, wanted to be more available for his children, Cortez realized the best way to have a more manageable schedule was to run his own business. He established Art Cortez Construction that year and incorporated the business in 2013. Since then, his responsibilities have changed considerably.

鈥�(The business) grew double to triple every year. Commercial, residential 鈥� I was constantly running crews of up to 40 at a time, assisting foremen, reading plans, calculating materials, purchasing, scheduling 鈥� all the things it takes to keep a contracting聽 business working,鈥� Art said.

He wasn’t shy about asking for advice when he needed it, either.聽 He got close to several regional general contractors, including Hoffman Construction. He credits that company with teaching him the finer points of governmental contract work.

鈥淪everal years ago, I got into a Portland mentoring program,鈥� Cortez said. 鈥�(The Oregon chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors) was suggested and it got me wondering about how other diversity groups operate. Recently, NAMCO reached out to me and wanted to address my concerns. The organization is changing, growing. I’m more neutral on diversity because I think we need to be Americans first. Put away cultural or racial stuff. It’s about doing the job, but getting the opportunity to do the job is still sometimes a problem.

鈥淢y belief is that it’s changing, but I think we really need to have a more direct approach to business. MCIP is a great example of the kind of outreach that helps smaller companies become more successful. When I had AKC Inc., I didn’t wholly understand all the aspects of business, so I closed the company until I learned.鈥�

That learning included attending workshops, obtaining more than two years of assistance of mentoring assistance related to the legal side of contracting, studying and conducting research, and taking his questions to more experienced industry people.

鈥淭urner (Construction) showed me projects that were the whole design. J E Dunn had a program on management.聽 Hoffman always mentored me though things like Construction Secure Alliances for Safety,鈥� Cortez said. 鈥淟ease Crutcher Lewis likes to put me on jobs and we work close; they’ve always been there for me if I had any questions.

鈥�Howard S. Wright is part of the Executive Round Table Program. It not only helped me grow my business, but left me wanting to do the same for others.鈥�

Art Cortez Construction was featured on the governmental agency website, gsa.gov, as an example of a successful small, minority-owned business.

A turning point for Cortez was working with Cascade Acoustics on the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building modernization project. The $139-million project focused on turning as 18-story office tower in downtown Portland into a LEED platinum-certified building. Cortez’s portion of the work was valued at nearly $500,000.

He performed well enough to earn a subsequent contract with Howard S. Wright. Since that time, his projects have grown to $20 million in ongoing contracts.

鈥淭hose kind of projects 鈥� the bigger ones 鈥� bring in a whole new set of problems.聽 How much money will I need to keep functioning through the project? For small businesses, it’s hard to get banks to work with you.聽 If you can’t get operating cash, you can’t grow. I’d really like to see more programs for loans and funding (MWESB) contractors. Through organizations like NAMCO and MCIP, we have an opportunity to address those needs.鈥�

Mentoring, both being guided and extending assistance to others, has helped Cortez grow both Art Cortez Construction and his second company, The Harver Company, at a steady rate.

鈥淚 think that companies in the industry as a whole have to plan growth patterns that are manageable,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mentor smaller businesses because I think it’s important. I understand what it’s like and I couldn’t have achieved this much success without progress partners. I like participating with MCIP.聽 They have practical workshops that are designed to help (small contractors) avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made, that most small businesses make.

鈥淗elping a growing company have fewer growing pains is satisfying. It’s my turn to give back, to help the small guys grow. I love having a hand in it. I have to manage how much is on my plate with two companies, but I always find the time to help others when I can.聽 And I want to tell those smaller businesses not to give up. Ask for help. Get educated. That worked for me.鈥�

Art Cortez Construction specializes in cold-formed steel framing, sound and thermal insulation, gypsum board installation, and finishing and acoustic ceilings.聽 The firm is professionally affiliated with several professional organizations, including the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the Association of General Contractors, the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, the Portland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, and is a member in good standing with NAMCO.

So, what’s next for Art Cortez Construction?

鈥淚 really love tall buildings, steel and concrete,鈥� Cortez said. 鈥淲e’re growing and participating on bigger and bigger projects.聽 Portland is growing and there are more opportunities for expanding who we are and what we do.鈥�

This story originally ran in the fall 2015 newsletter of the Oregon chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors. It is published here courtesy of NAMCO.