While building friendships across the state.
On Friday, March 27, 2026, Mick Rich Contractors handed the keys of the new Academic Building to Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, New Mexico.
NTU President Dr. Guy, NM Governor Lujan Grisham, Navajo Nation President Dr. Nygren
Steel Frame and Elevator Shaft.
Framing of the first-floor commons area of the Academic Building
Framing of the second floor of commons area
Architectural Rendering of the interior
Architectural Rendering of the complete Academic Building
I was eighteen when I walked on my first construction project fresh out of high school. I quickly learned that cement was an ingredient in concrete, and we place concrete, not pour cement. But the most important lesson that first summer was when Superintendent Bill "Bligh" Blythe (fitting nickname), told me the facts of life, "I have to put up with Al because he is the boss's son. I don't have to put up with you, and Allen told me I could fire you if you do not pick up the pace." That lesson stayed with me since. After five years in college and a civil engineering degree, I was ready to make my mark.
From the remainder of my twenties through my mid-forties, I had a number of projects that gained national and international recognition. I work on both coasts, working on oil refineries and chemical plants, roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, schools, and medical facilities. Research facility construction included blast-resistant structure capable of withstanding impacts from burning depleted uranium shrapnel. I am proud that only a few companies of our size in the nation possess the technical expertise we do.
From my forties through my sixties, I looked at what we do in a different light. We are not just school builders; we are part of the education system, including training our employees. The medical facilities we construct are part of the healing of New Mexico's sick and injured. The research and defense facility keeps our country safe and its staff safe. All the while, we have restored some of New Mexico's most treasured churches and saved a few adobe structures that were melting into the ground.
Through all the years working in the various communities of New Mexico, I learned that the most important first step was to understand that I was a guest and to behave accordingly. That is how we started at the Academic Building at Navajo Technical University, and we ended with the ribbon-cutting. Maybe that is why I was invited to participate in the Navajo Medicine Man's Blessing of the Academic Building.
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It is understandable that, when meeting new folks, I am asked whether I build or remodel houses. My response is simple: "The only house I remodel is my home, and that gets me into enough trouble."
