New Mexico Business Coalition (NMBC) has grown over the past 12 years into a formidable, outspoken advocate for pro-business public policy and increased private sector job opportunities for New Mexicans.  One of the key elements of a brighter future is great businesses that provide the jobs, products and services that improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans. NMBC is glad to profile some of those businesses: This week we feature Mick Rich and Mick Rich Contractors!

Owner, Mick Rich, has been building the communities of New Mexico since 1980. But, the term “contractor” is too limiting to describe who Mick Rich is. He has published three books: 1) the virtues of working and living in New Mexico, 2) how to hire and work with a commercial contractor, and 3) how to maintain commercial building exteriors and interiors. Plus, he just had a second article published in the American Thinker.  Mick is also the host of a show called, “To the Point with Mick Rich,” which airs on cable channels and is available by podcast and YouTube.

Mick Rich Contractors have constructed a wide range of projects in almost every county of the state of New Mexico. Those locations included mountain tops between Albuquerque and Gallup, Albuquerque and El Paso, and on top of Black Mountain (even crossed paths with a cougar on the way up the mountain) in the Pecos. Some of the communities we worked in were Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Hobbs, Farmington, Deming, and Clayton.

Like many commercial contractors, we have built and renovated many schools, churches, medical facilities, laboratories, warehouses, offices, and retail buildings. Unlike many contractors, we have constructed many one-of-a-kind projects that tested all our skills and knowledge. Those are the projects I truly enjoyed building. Those projects included: Renovating the Old Town Church in Albuquerque and the El Zocalo Complex in Bernalillo (some of the oldest adobe buildings in New Mexico); upgrading the mechanical and electrical systems for an operational supercomputing complex in preparation for the installation of the newest generation of supercomputers; Designed and built a 600 sqft blast-resistant structure with a 30 tons high-temperature freezer system and armor plating to protect against burning depleted uranium shrapnel, two moveable containment structures (60’w x 60’l x 30’h with a steel base frame and no floor) for the remediation of a hazardous (chemical, radiological and high explosive) waste landfill and assisted in the removal of that hazardous waste; designed and built La Habra’s fully automated dry-batch plaster product manufacturing facility in Albuquerque. This was the first manufacturing facility of its kind in the world.  For the consumer, this ensured consistent stucco color from one batch to the next batch at a low cost. What is more amazing than complete those projects is our impeccable safety record, completed every project, and never had a construction defect claim.

How we achieved our great record was our process to overcome those challenges. “Solving Complexity with Creativity”, seems too simple yet it is so very effective. That is why the United Nations Industrial Development Organization issued us a task order contract. We then submit a proposal to build a training facility for Scania AB, a Swedish Truck manufacturer in Erbil, Iraq. We were asked to submit a proposal for an indoor live round training facility in Libya. Marion breathed a sigh of relief when we were not chosen while I was looking at a new adventure.

While the buildings we listed were challenging, the building of communities has been rewarding. We have made a difference in people’s lives with our support of vocational training by assisting in the creation of one of the first merit shop apprenticeship programs in New Mexico and assisted in creating the first vocational charter high school in Albuquerque. A fellow business owner once mentioned to me, “Mick, you just don’t provide a job for people, you provide people with a career that prepares them for a lifetime. It is rewarding to know we have made a difference in people’s lives.

In 2020 we started a new decade and a new chapter. Camila & Jim Rich have started their construction company, Lopez-Guerra Construction. Mick Rich Contractors will continue to provide construction services to our great clients. Since 1984, Mick Rich Contractors has constructed a wide range of projects in almost every county of the state of New Mexico. Those locations included mountain tops between Albuquerque and Gallup, Albuquerque and El Paso, and on top of Black Mountain in the Pecos. They have also constructed buildings in Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Hobbs, Farmington, Deming, and Clayton. Like many commercial contractors, they have built and renovated many schools, churches, medical facilities, laboratories, warehouses, offices, and retail buildings. Unlike many contractors, they have constructed many one-of-a-kind projects that tested all their skills and knowledge. It was these projects Mick truly enjoyed doing. Included was Renovating the Old Town Church in Albuquerque and the El Zocalo Complex in Bernalillo (some of the oldest adobe buildings in New Mexico). Plus, they designed and built La Habra’s fully automated dry-batch plaster product manufacturing facility in Albuquerque. This was the first manufacturing facility of its kind in the world. For the consumer, this ensured consistent stucco color from one batch to the next batch at a low cost. 

Quality workmanship and safety are first and foremost for Mick Rich Contractors and their reputation is built on it. At www.mickrichcontractors.com, it states, “Our highest priority is to provide a safe work environment for our employees and subcontractors.” 

How Mick Rich Contractors achieved their great success was the process of overcoming challenges. “Solving Complexity with Creativity”, seems too simple yet it is so very effective. While the buildings they constructed were challenging, the building of communities has been rewarding. 

Mick and his team have made a difference in people’s lives with their support of vocational training by assisting in the creation of one of the first merit shop apprenticeship programs in New Mexico, and their hard work in creating the first vocational charter high school in Albuquerque. A fellow business owner once told Mick, “You just don’t provide a job for people, you provide people with a career that prepares them for a lifetime.” Mick finds it extremely rewarding to know he and countless others on his team have made a difference in people’s lives.

2020 started a new decade and a new chapter for Mick Rich Contractors. Jim Rich, Mick and Marion’s son, who worked with his father for the past 10 years, has started his own construction company, Lopez-Guerra Construction, with his wife, Camila.

Mick Rich Contractors continues to provide excellent construction services to their clients, and Mick doesn’t see an end to his podcast, “To the Point with Mick Rich”, where Mick and his guests discuss how to overcome the challenges facing our state and nation, and where you might just learn how “Solving Complexity with Creativity” happens.