History
1906
James Ghilotti, an Italian stone mason, arrived in San Rafael, California in his early 20s.
Shortly after the 1906 earthquake, he began practicing his craft in the states. James’ early work included beautifully meticulous masonry on the Blue Rock Inn in Larkspur and the Alpine Dam.
1910
After four years, James returned to Italy where he met and married his wife Amalia.
Shortly after, the land of “La Fortuna” beckoned, and he returned to Marin County with Amalia and their six-month-old son, William.1914
James set up his stone masonry shop at 1329 Fourth Street in San Rafael, California.
By means of a horse-drawn sled, James carted rocks down from the hills of Marin and Sonoma counties, and performed his mason work by hand. He built some of the area’s first concrete retaining walls and concrete patios, some of which still stand today, including the rock walls at the Blue Rock Inn.
1930s
James and Amalia had five sons and a daughter.
One son, Dante, sadly passed away at a young age, but the other four sons, Willie, Dino, Babe and Mario, grew up to work in the family business and the company prospered. Like a proud Italian father, James changed the company name to “James Ghilotti and Sons” in 1939.1945
After World War II, the sons had a hunger to expand the company.
They enrolled in courses on construction techniques and their knowledge grew, so did the business. Ghilotti and Sons got into concrete tilt-ups, later earthwork and demolition, and finally, paving and underground work
1950
After years of hard work, James Ghilotti was ready to retire.
In 1950, he sold the company to his sons and they changed its name to “Ghilotti Bros., Inc.”.1960s
One of the brothers left the company to start a new business in 1960.
Henry (Babe) Ghilotti left to join Elmo Magiorra and start their own contracting business, “Magiorra and Ghilotti”.
1980s
The company continued to serve Marin County and was blessed.
Ghilotti Bros., Inc. grew from gross sales of $20 million annually to over $100 million. Dino passed away in 1990, and his son, Richard Ghilotti, worked with Mario running the company.1992
Richard left the company to start “Ghilotti Construction Company”.
He partnered with Jim Ghilotti (Babe’s son) and headquartered in Santa Rosa. That same year, Mario, the last surviving brother, then teamed up with his wife, Eva, to continue the Ghilotti Bros., Inc. business with their two sons, Michael (Mike) and Dante, serving as vice presidents.
2000
The Original Ghilotti Bros. legacy continued.
Mike and Dante purchased the company from Mario and Eva in 2000, successfully bringing Ghilotti Bros., Inc. into its third generation of ownership.Today
Today, we’re still helping people build better lives.
James Ghilotti’s philosophy, “Earn respect by doing a job well, treat employees with courtesy and respect, and do good work for the community in which you live and work,” has been carried on and remains an integral part of the company’s driving force today. Ghilotti Bros., Inc. has grown considerably since its beginning in 1914 but has remained a family-owned and operated business. Today, Ghilotti Bros., is a multi-million dollar company and one of the largest employers of construction personnel in Northern California.