Leon Araiza, an Oregon-based general contractor, has made it his mission to empower people, especially those in the Native community, by providing connections to careers in construction. While he’s in the business of building, it’s the people he helps mentor in whom he takes the most pride. For Leon, success is not just about achieving personal goals but also about helping others achieve theirs.

Leon got his start in construction after failing to find connection through the traditional high school education system. He felt in complete conflict between what his teachers presented about early U.S. settlers coming in and being met by “savages” versus what his elders taught him. It created a divide in his mind, and was a disincentive to participate.

At 17, Leon pursued a different career pathway when he entered Tongue Point Job Corp, a pre-apprentice trade school in Astoria, Oregon. There, he completed the carpentry pre-apprenticeship program. It was during his time at Job Corp where he first began to dream of what could be, including owning his own home, buying a Harley and starting his own company.

Decades later, he has realized these dreams and more; however, they were not without struggle or sacrifice. As he worked his way through his apprenticeship program as a carpenter, there were many times when he was not treated well. Some worked to limit his advancement, operating from a scarcity mindset.

This was a concept he couldn’t understand. As he climbed the ranks and mentored those who came after him, he worked to change the experience for those who followed. This has translated into how he runs his company and remains his focus today.

“My growth and trajectory were shaped by my upbringing in the industry. The team mentality I developed early on has carried me through my career and shaped how I developed as a subcontractor and now as a general contractor.”

In the roughly two decades following his graduation from Job Corp, Leon gained experience through work encompassing commercial and high-end residential projects in the Portland area to industrial and civil construction projects like the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, OR and projects for the Army Corp of Engineers. “Wherever I could fit in is where I went, and if I didn’t have the skills, I was able to quickly adapt and learn through the work.”

In 2015, Leon established his own construction company, Advanced Tribal, LLC, and has remained committed to his team mentality, working to build people. Leon makes a point to intentionally hire from his Native community to close the opportunity gap. He hires, regardless of experience, to allow for entry-level career growth. “There are so many missed opportunities for those within my community, and that is something I want to change.”

Leon continues to recognize the importance of his career pathway and pays it forward. He is a training agent for the Northwest College of Construction and works with apprentice carpenters, cement finishers, and laborers, offering mentoring and on-the-job experience.

He has had the opportunity to help foster careers, with some of his early apprentices advancing to journey workers and now further growing their careers into superintendent and leadership roles. Many who had never been in construction are now advancing to project engineers or mid-level management staff. He’s also helped those who’ve had missteps in their past find level footing and living wage jobs after incarceration.

Leon is quick to recognize others who have helped him along the way. Organizations like the Oregon Native American Chambers (ONAC) and the Oregon chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) were critical in bringing opportunities to smaller firms and created vital connections to peers. Their partnership helped foster trust, build a network and grow his company.

One of these opportunities included work on TriMet’s Division Transit Project with Raimore Construction, which served as a solid stepping-stone. Now, Leon sees his involvement in the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project as another opportunity to build people through a larger project.

Advanced Tribal is one of three Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) selected for the project’s Early Work Package A. They’re contracted to build retaining walls and a sound wall in the N. Russell Street area once construction begins. As a Mini Construction Manager/General Contractor on the project, they’re involved in the pre-construction phase of Early Work Package efforts.

He’s prepared to expand their staff and provide internships for young Native men and women. When asked to name a favorite project he’s worked on, his answer was, “The people.”

“We’re building validation, confidence, and self-sufficiency. Construction is just something that we do; it’s not who we are—it’s who we are that we bring to what we do that makes us unique.”

Advanced Tribal, LLC, a Native American-owned construction company based in Salem, Oregon, is a self-performing general contractor with specialties in heavy civil and vertical construction. The company offers a range of services, including design-build, construction management and general contracting, to clients in the commercial, government and residential sectors.