HHCI Tradition

In 1991, following a successful 21 year-long career in his family’s business, Hal Hays established Hal Hays Construction, Inc. (HHCI), a heavy civil and construction firm with 1 bulldozer, 1 excavator, and 1 truck, and began work in forestry services, wildland firefighting, and ecosystem rehabilitation. After its incorporation in 2001, the firm expanded its service areas to include the federal, military, and government marketplace including Heavy and Civil Construction, Commercial and Institutional Buildings, Site Preparation and Demolition, Emergency Response, and Utility System Construction project services.

HHCI is accepted into the SBA’s 8(a) program… HHCI would go on to become the preeminent 8(a) contractor in the Southwest United States, expanding throughout 9 states, supporting the country’s Homeland Security, Military resiliency, and National Parks preservation and improvement efforts. By the time HHCI graduated the 8(a) program in 2011, HHCI had become one of the most successful 8(a) contractors of all time.

In 2006, CSU San Bernardino’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship selected Hal as the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awardee, for his significant entrepreneurial success through creativity, innovation, risk taking and the relentless pursuit of opportunity.

By 2007, through hard work and perseverance, the HHCI team was successfully designing, constructing and modernizing critical facilities and infrastructure for all branches of the Department of Defense, US Homeland Security, US Veterans Affairs, US Forest Service, and the National Park Service.

Our portfolio grew to include hospitals, airfields, utilities, roadways, training camps, secured facilities, bomb targets, hangars, towers, aircraft wash racks, armories, barracks, battalion headquarters, electrical transmission, bridges, dining halls, and educational facilities.

Whatever the mission called for, HHCI answered!

In 2009, US SBA Administrator’s selected HHCI as the Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year in recognition of HHCI’s outstanding contribution and service.

In 2010, Hal was selected by the SBA as the 2010 California State Small Business Person of the Year and recognized by President Obama at the White House.

Over the following years we continued to grow and diversify, adding many Fortune 500 firms and Public Utility agencies as clients, representing some of the largest customers of general and civil construction in the world!

In 2011, HHCI graduated to ‘large business’ status following its highly successful SBA 8(a) and HUBZone programs, HHCI’s hard work generated 33 five-year contracts for general construction and civil work, valued at $3.3B in potential program value; dedicated and accomplished team members; and hundreds of satisfied clients.

By achieving these great results our team earned recognition from leading publications like INC Magazine and Engineering News-Record for our fast growth and industry accomplishments. Even during challenging economic times, HHCI proudly earned “Top Contractor” and “Fast Growth Company” rankings numerous years in a row.

HHCI celebrates the next generation of leadership from the Hays family, Kirby Hays, our CEO. In the footsteps of his father, and with experience in all aspects of business from labor to project management to operations, Kirby is already contributing to our success.

Just one example is our newest division, Heritage Trucking, a materials and equipment transportation firm, already serving some of the largest rail constructors, road builders, and rail lines in California.

In true entrepreneurial spirit, Kirby always stands ready for the next opportunity to serve a key industry.

In 2014, HHCI earned its 28th Naval Facility Engineering Command STAR Safety Award for outstanding project safety performance.

Hal Hays Construction Inc., was awarded the 2018 Western US Regional Supplier of the Year award in the Class IV category presented by The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). HHCI was nominated by Southern California Edison (SCE). We sincerely appreciate this nomination and we are proud to represent SCE as Supplier of the Year!

Hal Hays Construction, Inc. was recently honored as the 2018 National Supplier of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). HHCI was selected from a field of over 10,000 Diverse Business Enterprises for the prestigious award, which was presented during the NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Exchange on Oct. 17 in Austin, Texas.

Nominated locally by Southern California Edison based on their exceptional performance as a prime vendor for them over the years, Hays hopes the recognition of “leadership and dedication to minority supplier development and to communities of color” helps spur further growth and opportunities for the company. “As a second generation, family owned construction company, the impact of being named National Supplier of the Year is enormous,” Hays said. “To be recognized at a national level for the work we do is truly an honor and one we take immense pride in. This is a landmark moment for HHCI and one we plan to build on.”

Hal Hays Construction, Inc. (HHCI) had the privilege of accepting American Water’s National Safe Contractor of the Year award. Nominated by California American Water (CAW), HHCI was competing against contractors from American Water’s other subsidiary companies throughout the United States and Canada.

CEO Kirby Hays, who accepted the award on behalf of the company, stated “This is truly a team award, and is a testament to the commitment to safety by HHCI’s on site crews, foremen, superintendents, and suppliers.”

HHCI has partnered with CAW for several projects throughout California. The nature of the work completed by HHCI’s team is statistically some of the most dangerous work within the construction industry. As general contractor, HHCI in honored to shine light in the serious measures they take when working underground construction – in addition to other trades HHCI is involved in.

Today, HHCI has achieved successful delivery of 1000’s of multi-disciplinary projects, valued at over $682M, for Federal, Military, Energy, Public Utilities, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Transportation, Aviation, Water, Wastewater, National Retail, and Aerospace industries.

As a leading Diverse business, we are proud to consecutively earn Diversity Business.com’s Top Diversity Business in California and the USA designations each year for the last 4 years. We remain one of the few Native American-owned firms with such accomplishments.

From a humble beginning, starting with 2 pieces of heavy equipment, HHCI can now provide over 289, valued at $12.5M, in equipment resources for its clients. From initially providing service to 3 customers, HHCI earns the trust of over 100 major clients throughout the Southwest and Midwest states. From a small dedicated group of employees, HHCI has grown to over 200 loyal team members, who on a daily basis, bring to life our firm’s principles of integrity, cooperative spirit, quality, work ethic, perseverance, character, honor, trust and pride.

Hal Hays Construction Inc., was awarded the 2022 MBE Excellence Award, presented by the Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council (SCMSDC). HHCI was celebrated for their spirit, generosity, and commitment to support the council’s mission, fellow MBE’s, their Native-American community, and 2nd tier MBE’s.

This award was accepted on behalf of Hal Hays Construction, Inc. by Kirby Hays, President/CEO. During his acceptance speech, he shared the importance of the people that make-up Hal Hays Construction. He also acknowledged the outreach and support HHCI gives to the local, off-reservation boarding high school for Native Americans and dedicated this award to the students and staff at Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, CA.