CROWNPOINT, N.M.—NHA Project No. NM15-043 is currently under construction by Arviso Construction Company.

It is rehabilitation of 30 non-1937 Act homeownership units. Construction began in Aug. 2024 with the demolition and abatement of the previous structures. Arviso Construction will complete Project No. NM15-043 in Sept. 2025, and the housing development features three and four-bedroom plans.

There are also four units that will have five-bedroom floor plans. Some of the homes will also   include reasonable accommodation features such as walk-in showers, wider doors, lower door handles, latches, and grab bars in the bathroom.

Arviso Construction began placing concrete in early Oct. 2024. The company president, Orville Arviso, is also the project manager for the Crownpoint development.

“We had to have at least two slabs done per week to keep up with our schedule,” he said.

However, due to the rain, freezing weather, and a Nov. 2024 snowstorm, construction slowed. Arviso said his crew must build three more slabs.

He cited labor as the biggest challenge to the project, noting that finding qualified individuals is always a concern for any construction activity. Employees that join the Arviso Construction workforce receive training to expand their potential in the construction industry.

The workforce for Project No. NM15-043 is 99.9 percent Navajo, Arviso said, adding that a couple of non-natives are also working on the project. He has 30 permanent construction workers on his crew and said when that number includes subcontractors, that figure increases to about 6o people working daily at the construction site.

Arviso Construction has a long history working with NHA, building homes and other structures on the Navajo Nation. Family-owned and operated, the company has its headquarters in Iyanbito, N.M.

“Moving forward, Arviso’s relationship with NHA will only get stronger.”

“We’ve been working on the Navajo Nation for 43 years,” he said. “My dad founded the company in 1982, and we have been working on Navajo since.

Four generations of the Arviso family have worked on construction and the next generation is already receiving an introduction to the business as they run around the office.

He said his father, Olsen Arviso Sr., told him that paying the bills was the key to operating a successful construction business.

Arviso runs the business with his siblings: Olsen Jr. is the CEO, Oren is the vice president, and his younger sister Orlinda is the secretary-treasurer.

“We guide each other every day with all the stuff that we’re doing,” he said of his siblings.

Aside from constructing 10-plus projects with NHA – most notably the Ft. Defiance Youth Complex and Crownpoint Youth Complex – Arviso construction has also built other large-scale projects such as the Ft. Defiance Wellness Center, Twin Arrows Police and Fire Station, Twin Lakes Chapter House, and Black Mesa Head Start building.

They provide services such as construction manager at risk, design-build, general contracting, comprehensive pre-construction services, competitive bidding, and fast track delivery.

Aside from the homeownership units currently being constructed in Crownpoint, Arviso Construction is also building a two-story, 150,000 sq. ft. hospital project at Bodaway-Gap (as a joint venture with Oakland Construction), 92 houses for staff housing at the same hospital (currently in the design phase), an NTUA district building in Red Mesa, Utah, the Diné College Elder-Culture building in Shiprock, and the $7.7 million St. Michaels Chapter House.

In total, Arviso said they have 10 other projects currently underway.

Because of the flood of American Rescue Plan Act funding and its subsequent infrastructure and development projects, Navajo Nation bonding limits are a major concern for construction businesses and tribal entities.

Arviso Construction knows all too well about the importance of bonding, and it was a challenge they had to overcome early in the days of their business.

“When we first started the company, we operated the first 10 years without bonding,” he said. “Those first 10 years basically prepared us for all of the issues that are coming up now.”

The Arvisos had to self-perform in the beginning and construct projects except for specialty trades like HVAC, plumbing, and electric.

That all changed in 1992, when Arviso spoke to his family about a new joint venture with Oakland Construction.

“Oakland introduced us to bonding company in Salt Lake City and we’ve been working with t hem since,” he said.

Arviso Construction, on the strength of that relationship, would do projects between $20 to $30 million per year. Now, they are pushing $100 million for the Arviso side.

“Now for the Oakland-Arviso side, this is where the joint venture comes in, we have a bonding capacity of over $1 billion,” he said. “That’s the reason why we do some of the work we do; to free some of Arviso’s bonding to work on some of these smaller projects where the bonding requirement is put in place.”

For fresh players to the construction game, Arviso offers this advice: “Working on Navajo is always tough because of the distance to get from one place to the other. I always tell people do not grow too fast; give yourself some time because if you want to work on Navajo, you must be patient.

In the early years, Arviso prepared estimates two to three weeks prior to the bid opening, followed by scrambling around to find capital to cover the bid bond, whether it was five or 10 percent.

“We’ve come a long way,” he said.

“It’s always an honor and a pleasure to work on Navajo, especially with Navajo Housing Authority, knowing that they are out there providing housing to our people,” he said. “Moving forward, Arviso’s relationship with NHA will only get stronger.”

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