Celebrating Rich Furtado – Success Means Focusing on Fundamentals

Join us in toasting one of our leading partners, Rich Furtado, as he retires and moves on to his next successful venture as a winemaker. Starting with SBC 30 years ago, it’s safe to say Rich has seen it all in the Bay Area construction scene. 

The secret to his staying power in helping build out our success? 

Solid basics. 

Rich built his professional career on a personal foundation of faith, family, and work. His talent and passion for building teams and proactively solving problems led to our growth, step by step. 

One constant that Rich never shied away from was change. He is the rare leader who doesn’t limit the capacity of a team to only what he knows. He excelled at hiring expertise to expand our vision to keep pace with doing business with the most innovative clients on the planet. 

Everyone building vision and buildings in the Bay Area knows it is a challenge. Rich led SBC in developing the capacity and relationships that are essential for success in a demanding regulatory environment.

Some notable projects in Rich’s SBC career include: 

Valley Christian High School, San Jose: Various new builds and improvements to an existing school including construction of sport fields, fitness buildings, classrooms, etc.

Casino M8trix, San Jose: 88,100sf casino with a single-story, tilt-up card room. This building is complete with a wide, open sports bar and luxurious dining areas. The design of the building is modern and bright. This project also consisted of an eight-story tower with a comfortable lounge, karaoke rooms for groups, and luxurious VIP rooms. The space was designed for private groups and VIP guests.

1440 Multiversity, Scotts Valley: New buildings and remodel of existing buildings with extensive site work at former Bethany University campus. Buildings include café, dining hall, hospitality buildings, wellness center, meditation center, classrooms, and amphitheater. Site work consists of a new road, garden, lake, bridge, and trails. 

Ohana, Monterey: 55,750sf adolescent behavioral health center including spaces for 16 bed units, dietary/nutrition, environmental services, therapy space, outpatient services, pharmacy, lab, admin services, public and education center, and associated parking. 

Rich’s experience is a masterclass in taking the long view.  After the dot.com bust sent the entire San Francisco economy reeling, Rich helped guide our company through a ten-year rough patch. 

Technology has changed. Contracts have grown from a couple of pages (and zeroes) finalized over lunch to hundreds of pages worth millions of dollars. Yet Rich is clear on what has not changed – SBC takes care of their employees, and we take time to get to know our clients beyond just texts and emails. 

It’s no surprise that Rich says, “Our tagline—a reputation built on trust—is exactly what I always wanted to have, and we’ve been very successful at that. What I’m really going to miss are the people.” 

To which we add, thank you, Rich! We appreciate your leadership, integrity, and friendship. 

We’ll be seeing you at the winery – Cheers!

Horse Thief Vineyard – Morgan Hill, CA