Hispanic Heritage Month Partner Perspective: Ricardo Morales

Rooted in Family 

Born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Ricardo grew up in Laredo, Texas as one of five children. He had two older brothers, an older sister and a younger sister. His father, Pedro Morales-Rodela, worked in sales in the transportation and import/export industry, and his mother, Carmen Morales-Salinas, stayed at home to help raise the kids. 

Family has always been central to Ricardo’s life, a value rooted in his Mexican American upbringing. 

“One thing that my parents instilled in us is the importance of cherishing and spending time with your family,” he said. 

Some of Ricardo’s fondest memories center around the meals that brought everyone together. Weekend carne asadas were a regular occurrence with his father commanding the grill, while his mother was known for dishes like chile rellenos, flautas, enchiladas and pollo con mole, always accompanied by staples like rice and beans. During the holidays, she made a pork filling for Thanksgiving that Ricardo still remembers, along with homemade pork tamales on special occasions.  

Today, with his siblings spread across Laredo, British Columbia in Canada, and Copenhagen, Denmark, getting everyone together requires more coordination. Regardless of the distance, the family gets together regularly, particularly during the holidays, carrying on the family tradition of staying connected inspired by their parents. 

A Family Connection to Construction 

Family would influence another important part of Ricardo’s life: his eventual path into construction. 

His uncle, Alfredo Morales-Rodela, was a civil engineer in Monterrey, Mexico. During family visits, Alfredo would invite Ricardo and his father to his jobsites, which primarily consisted of vertical construction projects. Ricardo remembers moving from floor to floor and taking in views of the city's landscape and surrounding mountains.  

Those early experiences introduced him to both the chaos and organization involved in bringing a project to life. They would also later influence his decision to pursue a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Texas A&M University. 

Finding His Way to McCarthy Building Companies 

After graduating from college, Ricardo joined an underground utility company, where he worked on various projects across Texas. 

“I worked on small jobs that typically lasted one to three months in major cities,” he said. “My first project was a hand-dug, 3-by-3-foot tunnel in the Dallas area.  My work then took me to Houston, San Antonio and El Paso. After the high of starting a new job started to settle, I came to realize this wasn’t the type of company or specialty work I wanted to do.” 

Around that time, a college friend working for McCarthy in Sacramento, California told Ricardo the company was hiring. Ricardo submitted his resume and traveled for an onsite interview. Gary Akin, project director at the time, was heavily involved in the interview process. 

“Unbeknownst to me,” Ricardo said, “Gary was planning on moving back to McCarthy’s Texas office, and he asked if I would be OK staying here. While I was interested in experiencing California, I felt working in Texas would be a great opportunity.” 

Ricardo then made the move from El Paso to Austin, where he stayed for a few weeks before heading to his first project. 

Settling into the Project Life 

Ricardo's first McCarthy job was a marine project in Port Arthur, Texas, where the team was building a wharf. 

“It’s amazing how little I knew of Texas geography or ports in general,” he said. “When I was first driving to Port Arthur, I was thinking what a nice place it was going to be, living and working by the water. I hadn't realized how significant the area's industrial presence was.” 

Ricardo described Port Arthur as one of the best early project experiences imaginable. In addition to all the new things he was learning, he formed great friendships with his co-workers, often going out to dinner and spending time together outside of work. 

He also recalled the influence many partners had on him at that stage of his career. 

He learned a lot about labor productivity and field operations from Project Superintendent Jerry Thornton. Bill Anderson was a project manager with a cool temperament, which was a perfect match to the owner’s animated representative. Field Engineer David Holcomb taught him the importance of surveying and how to support the project.   

Each left a lasting impression on Ricardo, helping shape how he approached his work early in his career. 

One of Ricardo’s favorite projects was the Bayport Terminal Complex Port Road project for the Port of Houston, constructed alongside a container yard project. 

“That was one of the first jobs where I really got to spread my wings as a leader,” Ricardo said. “I was responsible for the entire project. For the first time, I had to build relationships and earn the trust of the Port of Houston. It was a challenge, but we delivered good results and the project performed well financially for the company.” 

After years of extensive work in operations and in the field, Ricardo would eventually make the transition to preconstruction. 

The Thrill of Bidding 

In the early 2000s, Ricardo worked closely with the Dallas estimating team, helping bid projects while continuing to manage work in the field. 

“Chasing work has been fun,” he said. “I enjoyed the competition behind it, getting to learn about the job and putting together an estimate. And of course, the excitement if we won it.” 

After wrapping up a project in San Antonio in 2009, Ricardo temporarily joined the estimating team for a brief period and continued working closely with preconstruction over the following years. 

“After we’d win a project, I’d go out and help build it,” he said. “After finishing several projects in DFW though, many of the available opportunities at the time required travel, and I was looking for a little more stability.” 

In 2021, he formally transitioned into preconstruction as an Estimating Manager, gaining greater exposure to the earliest stages of the project lifecycle. 

Ricardo’s Preconstruction Role Today 

Today, Ricardo leads the preconstruction team for the Civil Business Unit, where he helps shape project strategy and establish consistent processes across the newly formed Design Phase Services group. Just as meaningful to him is building strong, collaborative teams rooted in the family values that have guided him throughout his life. 

“I enjoy interacting with the team daily,” he said. “I think it’s important to have that face-to-face time with people—to learn more about them, their experiences and, especially, to understand when things aren’t working.” 

When asked what advice he has for developing people, Ricardo reflected on a lesson he learned over the course of his career. 

“I didn’t learn how to give good feedback until later in my career,” he said. “Understanding how to give feedback — including the timing and the delivery — is important. Everybody wants and needs feedback. We all need to know what we’re doing well and where we need to improve to grow.” 

Embracing Family Time 

In 2000, Ricardo met his wife, Carol Morales, and they married a year later. They have built a close-knit family with Carol’s daughter, from a previous relationship, and their 15-year-old son. 

Just as he did growing up, Ricardo enjoys watching his son develop close relationships with his cousins whenever the extended family gets together. Family is at the center of much of their time together, whether they're gathering for holidays or traveling during school breaks. 

"My son and I enjoy skiing," Ricardo said. "Every spring break we try to plan a family ski trip. My wife isn't much of a skier, but she loves exploring the coffee shops and small mountain towns we visit. Last December we went to Lake Tahoe, and my stepdaughter, her husband and their son, who live in Fresno, California, were able to join us, which made the trip even more special." 

Their adventures don't end when the snow melts. 

"We also enjoy spending time outdoors during the summer," he added. "Lately, we've been traveling to Colorado to hike, and enjoy whitewater rafting." 

No “What Ifs,” Just “What’s Next?” 

On a recent family trip, Ricardo and his siblings found themselves reflecting on a few "what if" scenarios. They asked him whether, if he could do it all over again, he would make any different choices. 

"If I had discovered the mountains at an earlier age, perhaps I would have sought out college life near the Rockies," he joked. "But no, I wouldn’t change anything." 

As Ricardo approaches 30 years at McCarthy in 2028, he's focused less on what might have been and more on what's ahead. 

"I'm excited by the company's strategic plan and continuing to build consistency within our group," he said. "I'm especially excited for the learning and development opportunities provided at the future McCarthy Anchor Campus. The Design Phase Services structure brought regional alignment and streamlined the sharing of resources so I’m looking forward to working with the regional leadership to continue to improve how we operate." 

His appreciation for McCarthy’s employee ownership culture has grown over time as well. When the ESOP was first established, Ricardo said its significance wasn’t immediately apparent to him, in part because the education and resources available to partners weren’t what they are like today. 

“Once I understood the ESOP and the impact it has on our families, I couldn’t help but feel proud and lucky to be a part of this organization,” he said. 

We're fortunate that Ricardo chose to build his career at McCarthy, which has benefited from his passion for the work, talent for creating structure and his commitment to leading teams. Just as others invested in him when he first joined the company, Ricardo has helped shape the careers and experiences of numerous partners.  

Through his dedication to purposeful leadership development and developing consistency in how we work, he has built a legacy that will continue to benefit McCarthy long after his retirement.