Company History

In 1948, two brothers, Alex and Paul Szopieray, started a small dirt and demolition company in Richmond, California. In 1964, the company was incorporated as Bay Cities Paving & Grading. In 1981, Ben L. Rodriguez, Jr., the grandson of the company founder, assumed control of the company and has since guided the company’s growth. While remaining a family business, the company has, over fifty years, developed into a premier paving, grading and underground firm.

The company provides full service for road and freeway projects from paving to sanitary, storm and water work. By owning and maintaining its own equipment, Bay Cities is able to mobilize quickly and perform emergency work when time is of the essence. With a core of key managers and field personnel, Bay Cities has been able to produce quality work year after year. Today, Bay Cities employs approximately 250 workers, is a BART-certified Minority Owned Business, and has been recognized by the San Francisco Business Times as the largest Latino-owned business in the East Bay.

Bay Cities’ work in the public sector includes work for such entities as Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit, the Port of Oakland, the San Francisco International Airport and other local agencies including school districts. In the private arena, Bay Cities’ work has encompassed private schools, hotels, business parks, commercial developments, churches, subdivisions, and storage facilities. In both public and private work, time is of the necessity and Bay Cities has established a record of working with Owners to complete projects on-schedule and within budget.