Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfonso Cota.
Alfonso, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up working with my father since an adolescent. He had a small company that installed modular homes in private properties all over San Diego County. When I turned 18 I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in design and add that to the companies portfolio. This was during 2007/2008 a period when the economy was not in the best condition. My father ended up closing doors after 13 years and he went back to painting cars. I ended up transferring to Cal Poly Pomona and enrolling in their Landscape Architecture program. During this period I was not sure which path I would take since I was not crazy about working behind a desk all day. During my years in Pomona I was drawn to the more experimental aspect of the career. Using different mediums, languages, materials, and overall forms of communication. I was more infatuated on how things would be built and perform rather then the overall programing. After graduating I was hired at a safe manufacturing company where I began to experiment with metal. Although I had no prior training as a fabricator or welder, part of the tasks required of me involved fabrication. I slowly started getting versed with different materials and different tools. After working there full time and being allowed to use their premises in the afternoons to perform side jobs for landscape contractors/designers, I decided to jump into the abyss and give my dream of building a family business a second try. With the little money I had saved, I decided to purchase a welder and some tools and start contacting people via Instagram that fit the style/aesthetic of work I wanted to do. Everything slowly took off from there, and here we are now.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely been a struggle from the beginning. My ambition and dreams were a lot greater than my business knowledge. However growing up I was always drawn to sports where great stamina was required. So I think I had the tough skin required in order to endure the tough lessons I have learned along the way. I also have great support from my wife and father that work with me now. Learning to use the word “no”, and mastering the art of estimating have been the toughest lessons. With the proper help from our business coach we were able to change that mind set slowly.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Poc Studio – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I think the proudest moment as a company was when we finally started reaching out to Landscape Architects and we received positive and constructive feedback. It took a few years and difficult lessons in order to reach that point. So my team and I were very excited and gave us enthusiasm to continue forward with my vision.
Poc Studio is a custom fabrication company that caters to Landscape Architects. We mostly work with metal and are slowly venturing off into wood and concrete We are known for paying close attention to the fine details. What really sets us apart from other fabrication companies is that we understand the language. Since we are familiar with other trades, we can foresee any situation that may arise. We try to have clear communication and be as accommodating as possible to the Landscape Architect and Contractor
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We plan to scale our company and build a solid reputation within San Diego County and Orange County. We want to continue to offer the personal touch as well as great communication. We are finishing up our website currently and hope to have our online store up and running in the near future. We plan to sell some of the more popular items we install often. We are also developing a modular pergola that fits the California lifestyle, but that also does not break the bank.
Contact Info:
- Address: 170 Mace St
- Website: www.pocstudio.co
- Phone: 619-318-6439
- Email: hello@pocstudio.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poc_studio/
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/pocstudio/poc-studio
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