From small beginnings to High-Speed Rail contracts and beyond

J. Perez Transport, Inc. has operated since 1998 and, in 2018, experienced a big boost in business after winning a contract with California High-Speed Rail . Now in business doing a little bit of everything, according to owner Juan Perez, Jr., the company continues to thrive with hopes of garnering even more opportunities for growth.

Perez was awarded 17 miles from Wasco to the Garces Highway to construct the HSR. He accomplished this feat through confidence and a determined mindset.

"I walked into the office of the project manager for the HSR in Wasco when I was told they were looking for small businesses, but mine was too small. I only had three trucks, but I told him I could get more small owner-operator businesses like mine if he gave me the opportunity. He gave me an opportunity by saying, "If you can come up with 25 more like yourself by tomorrow with phone numbers I can call to confirm, I will take it to higher management and get you on board." And sure enough, I showed up the next day with 30 guys he could call and confirm that they were real, and after working with him a couple of months, it got to the point I was managing 80 of them."

Now, he said he wants to go and ask big businesses around Kern County, like the Wonderful Orchards, if they will give him the same opportunity that the HSR gave him to put other small owner-operators like himself to work here locally so they can stimulate the economy.

His experience working on the HSR was remarkable for his business, "I got to meet a lot of the construction companies, and from there, I grew my business into road construction. Many of these companies called me, hired me for road construction projects, and put in a good word for me with construction projects in Nevada."

Perez grew up in trucking, so it felt natural to enter the business. "My dad was a trucker. When I was a kid growing up from the age of eight to ten, I loved going with my dad, trucking. He hauled mostly potatoes, carrots and sugar beets, so I would tag along whenever I had a chance on weekends or short days after school. I loved going on trips, and straight out of high school, I bought my own truck, and that is how it started."

He keeps busy all year, with summertime occupied with road construction, during the harvest season with almonds and pistachios, and during the winter months, hauling freight cross-country.

The company is family-owned, with his wife, Vicky, running the office and his brother, Joel Perez, helping out with bigger projects.

Perez has lived in Wasco for 22 years and said, "It's a great little town."

[BEGIN ITALIC]J. Perez Transport, Inc., operates in the Wasco area and beyond. They can be contacted at 661-213-7156 or [email protected]. [END ITAL]