Family Foundation ORCO Block Has Built Itself by Building Walls
By DANIEL D. WILLIAMS
Rick Muth has heard the one about being a chip off the old block so many times that by now he keeps a poker face when he hears it.
But such is the case when you are the son of a co-founder of a block maker. In 1946, Rick’s father Peter Muth help start Stanton-based ORCO Block Co., which today bills itself as Southern California’s top producer of concrete blocks.
The family business has produced many block structures around Orange County. It has provided building blocks for Edison International Field, the Irvine Spectrum, the Ronald Reagan courthouse and the original walls around Leisure World in Seal Beach and Laguna Woods.
ORCO uses more than 500 molds to produce some 8,000 different items. According to one estimate, the 200-plus-employee company makes enough material each year to “build a 900-mile, six-foot wall running from San Diego to Oregon.”
ORCO began from more humble beginnings in Santa Ana. Pete Muth started the company with his brother-in-law Frank Hertz, partner Arvid Johnson and three other employees in 1946. It was physical work in those days: the founders also were the laborers.
The three built their block empire with a simple philosophy for men who grew up in the Depression and survived World War II.
“They wanted to make a quality product, provide excellent service and offer a competitive price,” Rick Muth said.
Add to that recipe good timing. The founders formed ORCO at a time when Southern California was entering an era of unprecedented growth. And the company grew along with it.
In 1954, ORCO added a second plant in Stanton. But 1971 was the watershed year for the block maker. Back then, ORCO opened its largest plant on a 36-acre site in Riverside. It has since expanded to more than 98 acres and 23 buildings.
In 1982, the company consolidated its OC operations in Stanton, and in 1988 bought out competitors in Oceanside and Banning and added a plant in Romoland.
Up to 30% of ORCO’s business is in OC, according to Rick Muth, who’s active in local politics. The majority is in the Inland Empire with the remaining balance in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, he said.
A common theme during ORCO’s 45 years in existence has been the company’s ability to keep pace with emerging technology.
Concrete blocks were the initial line of business. Now simple blocks make up a portion of the inventory. ORCO’s specialized products include blocks for fireproofing, sound insulation and impenetrable walls to protect from leaks.
“We’ve always kept up with the new trends in our business,” Rick Muth said. “Whether the latest trends deal with colors or shapes, we’ve been in the mix.”
The company is known for developing color walls in Mission Viejo.
“We call it our mission color,” Rick Muth said. “It’s been a big hit.”
ORCO has branched out to new product lines. The company is in the process of putting in a $5 million machine to expand its concrete paver business.
“We’re also looking to improve upon our sack-mortar mix business,” Rick Muth said. “We just got into that line of business and need to emphasize our sales force.”
The Muth family took sole ownership in 1971 when co-founder Johnson died. Hertz left years earlier to enter the trucking business. Pete Muth is pretty much retired but still serves as chairman. His wife, Mary, is on the company board. Rick is president and brother Lynn is vice president, heading up special projects and personnel.
For Rick Muth, indoctrination to the family business began at an early age. As a fourth grader, he said he worked hard labor, picking up broken blocks. Until his senior year in college, he worked at ORCO in one capacity or another, before striking out in the business world in the 1970s. He’s been with ORCO since 1975.
Rick Muth said he has a secret for hanging on to the brotherly love.
“My brother and I both have enough work to do so we don’t run into each other too much, and that’s a good thing,” Rick Muth said.
Although the Muth name is synonymous with ORCO, separation of family and business is key, according to Rick Muth.
“At Thanksgiving, we didn’t talk about the business,” he said. I believe there are more important things to talk about. We have this big family. There are kids and grandkids.”
Rick Muth has two daughters. One is in college. The other is a senior in high school.
Muth said it’s up to his daughters if they want to make the concrete block business a part of their lives.
“It’s up to them to join,” he said. “I’m not going to pressure them.”
