A California native, Jose Navarro has found his time in the construction industry to be extremely rewarding—although he wasn’t always sure that he wanted a job in the construction field.
“I graduated from high school, and there was a point where I went to take an exam with the Marines,” Jose said. “I probably would have joined them, but my parents had plans to move to Mexico. I decided that I wanted to travel with them to try and get a job in the tourism industry since I knew English. That didn’t pan out, so I headed back to the U.S. I had an uncle that lived in Pittsburgh who worked in the construction industry and kept telling me to come over. So, that’s what I did.”
The move proved to be life changing, as Jose found a love in an industry where he didn’t have much prior knowledge.
“I started performing a lot of cleaning around the construction area where we were building,” Jose said. “Later, they needed somebody to drive a dump truck. I told them at that time that I had never driven a big truck like that. I was nervous, but I figured it out quickly. That’s how I started driving and learned to love the big trucks.”
That start took place back in 1983, and Jose has been in the industry ever since—including the past 16 years at Geneva Rock. Although, he hadn’t heard of the company when he and his family initially moved to Utah.
“After we moved here, I had interviews at several construction companies,” Jose said. “One day I saw one of Geneva’s trucks and said, ‘That’s the one.’ I stopped by the offices to fill out an application and asked about dump trucks. They said they weren’t currently hiring dump truck drivers but were looking for mixer drivers. A couple of guys came in and explained to me what I would be doing. After learning about the job as well as all the good stuff that the company does, I applied.”
As a mixer driver, being able to do the job well and deliver the product without delays is what keeps Jose going each day.
“It’s not a boring job because you go somewhere different all the time,” Jose said. “It can be a nice and big open area or other places where you have to squeeze in. I like being able to accept a new challenge—whatever it is at the moment.
“I also like making the customer happy. I’m not great at remembering names, but when I get to the job site, I smile and say ‘Hi’ to everyone. My thing is just being friendly and doing a great job for them.”
Jose’s attitude has helped him excel at Geneva Rock. During his time with the company, he has appreciated all the friendships he’s made and looks forward to many more years with the company.
“Everyone at Geneva Rock has been helpful to me,” Jose said. “I just enjoy my interactions with everyone. For me, they’re all just awesome. My fellow drivers, salesmen, the supervisors, everyone.
“I tell everybody that this is the best job I’ve had in my career. I just hope that I can continue to do this until they say that I can’t anymore. It’s hard work, and you have to focus on your work, but it’s very rewarding and it never gets boring. There’s always a new challenge. The company will take care of you. The first year is always the hardest, but I’m sure glad that I stuck around. You won’t be disappointed with a job at Geneva Rock. You’ll probably end up loving it like me.”
