By Yvette Porter-Moore
The County of San Diego plays a critical role in the well-being of its residents by expanding access to health and community services. The new Southeastern Live Well Center (SELWC) located on the corner of Market Street and Euclid Avenue, at the foot of Emerald Hills will be an (all-in-one) stop location for needed community services. This state-of-the-art facility will be known as a gem within Southeastern San Diego, bringing employment and career opportunities into the area, beginning with the various subcontracting opportunities that were made available for certified firms, including Small Business Enterprises (SBE), Veteran-Owned Businesses (VBE) Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE) and Local Businesses during its construction.
Vic Ross Masonry, Inc. is a Black-owned local business with over 50 years of experience providing masonry services to clients throughout Southern California. The firm has a project portfolio that includes the former Qualcomm Stadium expansion, San Diego International Airport, the Nokia Product Center, San Diego Police Department Station on 25th & Imperial, Petco Ball Park, and the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego. Notable local work includes Malcolm X Library, The Black Contractors Association on Imperial Avenue, Elementary Institute of Science, Lincoln High School, and Gompers Academy.
Vic Ross Masonry is dedicated to excellence and providing quality masonry work to its clients in Southern California.
As the masonry contractor for the SELWC project, Vic Ross Masonry, Inc. has laid the blocks and the foundation for the elevator shaft and maintenance room, which includes the electrical room and wrapping the building for the elevator with blocks located in the parking structure.
Ardell V. Ross, president and owner of Vic Ross Masonry, and known to most as “Vic Ross,” first got his start in construction as a bricklayer. On his first project, he was sent to work inside a tin-roofed building, where temperatures would reach as high as 140 degrees as he labored.
“Most people would have been discouraged going through a situation like that,” says Ross, who credits his exceptional work ethic to his father, who was a laborer, and his mother, who worked hard outside of the home while raising her family and still finding time to serve her community.
“I was raised to work hard, and that is all I know,” Ross said. At the age of 84, Ross still works hard every day and does not intend to retire anytime soon.
Ross has been married for 65 years and has raised two sons. He believes the SELWC project will benefit local residents. “I see that this building is a complement to the area – it’s a good thing,” he notes.
Ross also appreciates the project’s focus on providing business opportunity to local and small businesses and the impact it can have on ensuring that the local workforce and business community mirror’s the county’s demographics.
Remo Washington, foreman at Vic Ross Masonry, agrees. “This project is an opportunity for people that look like me, that will have job and career opportunities and will be able to work in the community where they live,” said Washington.
Vic Ross Masonry, Inc. is located at 3451 Pickwick Street, San Diego, CA 92102.
