Earthquake: The Long Road Back : Recession-Battered Construction Firms Expect a Big Boost : Industry: Rebuilding in Simi Valley and Fillmore will keep companies busy for months and may have a ripple effect.

The ground had barely stopped shaking before the phones began ringing.

Monday’s 6.6 temblor, which damaged thousands of houses and businesses in Simi Valley and Fillmore, will give the local construction industry a much-needed boost, contractors say.

Recession-battered construction companies will be busy for months rebuilding structures in Simi Valley and Fillmore, which were hardest-hit in Ventura County by the quake that originated in Northridge. Officials estimated losses of at least $1 billion countywide.

“The phones have been ringing off the hook,” said Kristin Rice, office manager for Simi Valley-based Rice Construction Co. Rice said her family’s company has picked up about five jobs so far. “We’re handling them first come, first served.”

Ray Prueter, executive director for the Ventura County Contractors Assn., said his office has received numerous calls for general contractors.

“We don’t like to have business at the suffering of other people, but it’s good for the industry,” Prueter said.

Structural engineers, who assess building damage, say they have also been swamped with calls.

“I was called out the day of the earthquake,” said Bill Crouch, a Santa Paula structural engineer who is turning away customers already.

In the building trades in Ventura County, unemployment ranged from 25% to 35% last year, said Richard Bromser, business manager for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Two days after the quake hit, Bromser had sent out 14 electricians for jobs in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley.

Businesses that support the construction industry also will benefit, said Pat Conley, purchasing agent for White Cap Contractors Supply in Ventura.

“We had to restock all our generators, electrical cords, batteries and flashlights,” Conley said. “We do see a big increase after disasters.”

Companies that rent equipment to contractors also reported an increase in business.

Rebuilding of homes, businesses and freeways began hours after the quake. In Fillmore, workers hoisted mobile homes back onto their foundations less than 24 hours after the quake.

In some cases, contractors are actively soliciting work.

Fillmore city officials say they have been receiving faxes at City Hall from contractors offering their services.

Some signs advertising construction services have already been posted around Fillmore, and some contractors have purchased radio advertisements as well.

The day after the quake, contractors passed out business cards at the El Dorado Mobile Home Estates in Fillmore, where more than 200 of the 300 mobile homes were damaged.

Mark Smitley, owner of Fillmore-based So. Cal. Construction, said the price on a job could vary from $1,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on damage.

Smitley warned property owners to ask contractors for proof of their state licenses.

“People need to be careful of whom they’re hiring,” Smitley said. “An unlicensed contractor can take the money and leave a job.”

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Unregulated contractors generally do not bother getting liability insurance or workers’ compensation coverage, and homeowners have little recourse if workers abandon the job or do shabby work, state officials said.

After fires scorched Malibu in November, state officials ran a sting operation to catch unlicensed operators.

“City officials and the Sheriff’s Department will be on the lookout for unlicensed contractors,” said Noreen Withers, spokeswoman for the city of Fillmore.

Other guidelines for hiring a contractor include:

* Getting several bids and double-checking abnormally low estimates.

* Requesting a copy of the contractor’s certificate of workers’ compensation and liability insurance coverage.

* Insisting on a written contract that specifies exactly what work will be done.

FYI

Experts say customers should ask contractors if they are state-licensed. Check to make sure the name on the pocket license and a second form of identification match. It is illegal for a contractor to use someone else’s license. Call the Contractors State License Board’s toll-free line at (800) 321-2752 to check that the license has not been suspended. Local residents can also call the Ventura County Contractors Assn. at (805) 981-8088.