For Rudy Garcia Jr., president at RG & Sons Plumbing and chairman of the Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA), construction has been part of his life since childhood. When he was 9 years old, Garcia Jr.’s father started the family business.
“My mom was his first bookkeeper, so I grew up in the industry. It was a different time, so I was out on job sites from a young age — my dad got a lot of free labor out of me,” he recalls. “I enjoyed working with my hands, so I had a lot of fun working for him, but I didn’t plan on plumbing being my career choice.”
AZRE magazine sat down with Garcia Jr. to learn more about his start in the trades, how the ABA’s education programs helped grow his leadership skills and his priorities for the association.
The following responses have been edited for clarity and length.
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AZRE: When did you decide that construction was the career you wanted to pursue?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: Candidly, I wasn’t a great student, so I started my plumbing apprenticeship right after high school because I knew it was something I enjoyed. I continued to work for my father’s company and became a journeyman, and through that time, I learned from a lot of dynamic leaders. That made me realize that I wanted to become one of those people, and I had the opportunity to become a foreman and lead crews in the field.
When there was a slowdown in the industry, I helped out with estimating, but I didn’t like being stuck in the office full time.
So, I started focusing on how we could be more strategic with our resources in the field, and that type of thinking put me on a path that eventually led to me becoming the president of the company.
AZRE: Did you take any leadership development coursework once you decided on that path?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: Definitely. In the trades, you’re trained on the craft, not supervisory skills. Mentoring happens on job sites, but this is where the ABA steps in by offering leadership classes.
One of the first courses I took was the Supervisory Training Program. The instructors guided us through different scenarios that might come up when you are leading a team. The instructors were great, and two of them became my mentors.
AZRE: What lesson stands out to you?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: The importance of being open-minded and realizing that construction is a team sport. Hearing your people out is extremely important because sometimes they have a better way to approach a problem than you do. I’ve always tried to surround myself with folks who are better than me at something and lean on them.
AZRE: How did you go from taking some ABA courses to leading the association as its chair?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: I live in Tucson, and the Southern Arizona part of the organization has its own chairman. After I went through some classes, I started learning more about how the association is structured and got into the leadership path from there. In 2019, I became chairman for Southern Arizona, which has a board seat at the state level, so I went to those meetings and learned how everything worked behind the scenes. Later on, I was asked to consider leadership of the association.
AZRE: What are your priorities as board chair?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: The ABA has three pillars that we’ll continue to focus on — education, advocacy and connection. Those are three very strong pillars, but what I’m planning to dive deep on the membership experience and making sure that we continue to be the gold standard for construction associations.
AZRE: Why is it important for the association to weigh in on legislative matters?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: I’ll be the first to tell you that advocacy isn’t one of my strong suits, but everyone in the construction industry — regardless of ABA membership — is impacted by what happens at the state legislature. The ABA has a PAC and a lobbyist who makes sure legislators understand how their votes could impact our industry positively or negatively.
AZRE: What are you hearing from members about the challenges their businesses face in 2026?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: It’s not a new issue, but it’s still affecting every business I talk to — having enough qualified people. The labor shortage is real, but companies also struggle retaining them as well.
AZRE: Any last thoughts you’d like to share with readers?
Rudy Garcia Jr.: The ABA was the bridge that took me to the next stage of my career.It’s an incredible opportunity for our membership to have access to. I still feel more comfortable in a job trailer than a boardroom, but the ABA has taught me how to be successful in both.
