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Joe Calderon, president and owner of Sterling-Pacific Commercial Roofing and Waterproofing, graduated from Florida International University with a BBA in finance in 2001. He then moved back to Oregon and got a job on the trading desk for Pacific Crest Securities.

After two years with Pacific Crest, he switched fields to mortgage lending where he worked until the crash of 2009 decimated the financial sector. A friend of his from the mortgage industry, also faced with no work, landed a job for a company that was doing online advertising. It inspired Calderon to start his own online advertising business from the ground up following the same model.

鈥淚 was a single father of three boys and we were faced with losing our home. I learned a lot from starting my own business in a down economy. I learned to create a business with very little capital and operate with little overhead. Ultimately, this gave me the confidence to start my roofing business,鈥� said Calderon, who went on to manage two 10-person sales teams and a fulfillment team of three people.

Calderon started roofing under JIC Construction in 2015 and, for the first couple of years, the company sold residential roofs. At the end of the summer of 2016, he started Sterling-Pacific as a DBA of JIC Construction. Sterling-Pacific has four employees in the office and operates with highly skilled crews in the field. In addition, Calderon is hiring estimators, field managers and supervisors.

鈥淲e get to do cool projects,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of our last roofing projects of 2021 is the Zidell Treehouse. The house, in Portland鈥檚 Southwest hills, was commissioned by shipyard magnate Arnold Zidell and was designed by Saul Zaik. The octagonal home was built in 1970 and sits on a ship鈥檚 mast from the USS O鈥橦ara, a Liberty Ship that served in both WWII and the Korean War.鈥�

The roofing business comes with inherent challenges, including safety and quality, and it requires Calderon to constantly learn, keep up with new technology, and be solutions-oriented to be successful. When Calderon started Sterling-Pacific, he also joined NAMC-OR and met Executive Director Nate McCoy.

鈥淓stablishing processes and systems to synchronize with the cadence of construction projects is one of the most challenging aspects of being in the start-up phase in construction. We have really leaned on NAMC to get us pointed in the right direction. Nate and his team have been an invaluable resource for advice, technical assistance and introductions,鈥� he said.

Calderon credits the relationships he鈥檚 built through NAMC-OR and other non-profit organizations for helping him keep his business going, and said he benefits from the networking opportunities they provide.

鈥淐onstruction is very tricky, especially as a start-up. There is a highly competitive nature to the business and it can be extremely challenging to scale without help. The African adage 鈥榠t takes a village鈥� comes to mind and Portland is the perfect village,鈥� he said.

Recently, Sterling-Pacific was invited to participate in the nationally recognized Port of Portland Mentor-Prot茅g茅 Program. Calderon said Portland鈥檚 ecosystem of government agencies, large general contractors, and non-profits provide plenty of opportunities to network and make connections to ultimately find mentorship and work.

鈥淭he best piece of advice I got when I started out was from Gabriele Schuster, Metro鈥檚 procurement manager. We connected at an outreach event hosted by Metro that emphasized equity in contracting,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he told me to go to every networking event possible and, for recurring events, she said, 鈥榙on鈥檛 just go one time but go every time.鈥� I took her advice and quickly found myself making relationships and finding opportunities.鈥�

When asked what advice he has for other small business owners looking to scale, Calderon recommended they start by visiting the city鈥檚 Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID).

鈥淭hen I would look for a mentor that believes in the business model and can help develop a platform with scalability,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, if you get knocked down seven times, get up eight, and no matter what, never, never, never give up.鈥�

Calderon noted that Sterling-Pacific couldn鈥檛 have survived some of the challenges it has faced over the past few years without NAMC-OR. 鈥淭heir embrace is genuine, their commitment is real.聽Nate, his staff, and members of the Board of Directors have all played a crucial role in our organization.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to especially thank Jeff Moreland, Alexander Naito, Alando Simpson, Don Shanklin, Andrew Colas, Cobi Lewis, John Jackley, and Molly Washington. Your devotion to the advancement of BIPOC-owned businesses is inspiring, motivating and essential,鈥� he said.