Two of Tri State General Contractors Inc.’s crews working simultaneously to complete high vertical walls and a roof structure.

Pictured left to right: Vice President Don Mason III and President Dave Mason Sr., both of Tri State General Contractors, Inc. Their company’s growth has resulted from providing their clients with unrivaled services for challenging remodels and design-build projects.

In just seven years, Tri State General Contractors, Inc. (Tri State), has experienced exceptional growth and profitability. Dig below the surface of the company’s brief history and there is evidence that explains why it has been successful.

General contractor companies thrive based on the quality of their work and their reliability. That’s how they build a list of satisfied customers that return again and again. The construction industry doesn’t abide fly-by-night companies that over promise and under deliver.

Tri State, which is based in San Marcos, California, was able to quickly establish itself due to the strong financial backing from partners Dave Stone and Walt Schobel, and the contacts and reputation built by the Mason family. Dave Mason Sr. is the company’s President. His nephews, Donald “Don” Mason III (Vice President) and DJ Mason (General Superintendent), as well as his son, David Mason Jr. (Project Manager), complete the company’s operations foursome. Tri State now employs a staff of over 100 construction professionals.

Built on Reputation

Much of Tri State’s values—hard work, responsibility, ethics—can be traced to Donald Mason Jr. (Dave Sr.’s brother and Don and DJ’s father), who was a Vietnam veteran and was awarded the Silver Star. Donald Jr. was known as “Captain Don” in the construction business. Dave Sr. started his construction career working for his brother, someone he considered a mentor and “the smartest man” he has ever met. At the age of 24, Dave Sr. supervised 150 workers on the construction of the north super-structure at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium, former home of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers.

Dave Sr. was Vice President of a prominent retail and construction company for nearly 20 years. During that time, he grew the company from a small commercial builder into a significant player in the retail construction industry and transitioned from building McDonald’s restaurants to Walmart Supercenters. In 2013, he decided to strike out on his own with the help of his son and nephews.

“The relationships I had forged at that company helped us bring in customers and subcontractors,” Dave Sr. says. “We started Tri State when the market had changed from ground-up construction to more remodeling/renovations and expansion projects. The work is more technical, lower-contract value and more challenging. We have proven to be good at it and have built a strong customer base.”

Great Timing

While Tri State splits its work between ground-up construction and remodeling projects, it came along at the right time. A decade ago, there was a construction boom—Walmart, one of Tri State’s top customers, was building 300 stores a year. Now, ground-up construction has stalled, but remodeling and renovation is booming.

“What we do is very specific,” Don says. “Doing open-store remodel work is a niche market. We’re demanding in terms of the subcontractors. We bring in people who are willing to work in those environments. It’s not for everyone. We have subcontractors who do only remodels, some who do ground-up construction and some do both. We try to work with those partners to put them in the best place so it’s a win-win for our subcontractors and customers.”

Tri State has become the go-to company for open-store remodels. Don describes it this way: “Imagine your home was getting remodeled and you were living there 24 hours a day, seven days a week—and you had friends visiting on a regular basis.”

Dave Sr. shares another succinct analogy. He says, “It’s like rebuilding a carburetor while the engine’s running. Remodeling can involve invasive work—cutting up slabs, digging trenches, installing underground plumbing and installing refrigeration units. At the end of a night shift at 
6 a.m., that store has to be 100% clean, safe and ready for shoppers. That’s every day of the construction project.”

“We have to learn how that store operates,” Don says. “We become part of that store. We have to know when they get deliveries, when the bakery opens, when the meat counter closes. We have to manage our work to allow them to do their work. It’s a ballet of coordination.”

Work conducted during store hours requires the workers to be presentable, professional and personable. A worker on an outdoor job site would likely curse if he bangs his thumb on a hammer or drops a toolbox on his foot. That language is unacceptable on a Tri State remodel. Don also says that when his company’s superintendents walk the job site at a grocery store, they try to learn the layout so that if a customer asks where the Worcestershire sauce is, they can answer.

Making Relationships Work

A successful working relationship between a general contractor, its subcontractors and the customers who shop where the work is done requires coordination, cooperation and communication. Dave Sr.’s reputation and his contacts followed him to Tri State. That has allowed the company to build its roster of subcontractors.

“We’re looking for teammates who want to join our efforts, put in the extra hard work. Our company’s culture is to hire like-minded construction professionals, project managers, estimators and subcontractors. We take great care of them with a solid amount of repetitive work and we pay them on time and compensate them well,” Dave Sr. says. “That’s how we separate ourselves from other general contractors.”

Tri State does training with its superintendents throughout the year and also has a full-time compliance officer who is a resource for the field teams. The compliance officer understands the compliance regulations of both the company and its customers.

“Our office staff exists to support the field team,” Don says. “We’re a support staff for the superintendents in the field. They’re the boots on the ground and our goal is to thoroughly support them however we can so they can be successful.”

Tri State’s accounting staff makes sure the subcontractors are paid on time, averaging 35 days for turnaround versus other firms that can take three to six months to pay a subcontractor. Tri State uses a proactive approach by preparing the paperwork so that subcontractors only need to review and sign the documents in a single email. Completing this work on the front end reduces the lag time typically associated with how money and payments flow.

“We like to think of technology as transparency,” Don says. “We want to be as transparent as possible. When you bid and negotiate on projects, transparency is everything. The client needs to know they can trust us. We had a client overpay us $30 on a construction permit. We cut a check and brought it to our next meeting with the customer. That’s part of building a reliable relationship.”

A Bright Future

Tri State’s home office is in San Marcos, California, and houses a metal fab shop and woodworking 
facility to self-perform ornamental stainless and steel products for commercial and retail clients. Tri State has a second location in Rocklin, California, to handle projects in Northern California and also an office in Hawaii staffed by a management team that is experienced in the Hawaiian construction market. Besides California and Hawaii, the company is licensed to work in Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Washington.

“We try to follow our good customers, and many of them have asked us to be licensed for Hawaii. Our customers already have work they want us to do over there,” Dave Sr. says. “In the next five years, we want to grow our office in Northern California.”

Tri State is a faith-based company that has built numerous churches in California. The company also has two favorite charities. One is Warfighter Made, a nonprofit that adapts and customizes vehicles for wounded veterans who enjoy off-roading. The other is Racers For Christ, which aims to bring inspiration to the world of motor sports by serving people’s emotional and spiritual needs.

“We’re dedicated to rapid growth but not growth that compromises our core values,” Don says. “We want to build on those core values. Construction companies grow by doing larger projects, not more projects. Tri State is a place where superintendents want to work, and subcontractors want to partner with us. To grow, we need to grow our subcontractor and employee base. We’re not looking for a short-term fix; we want a long-term solution. We don’t want just employees and subcontractors; we want a big family.”