NWPX Employee Spotlight: Rick Guerrero
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NWP Employee Spotlight Series:
Illuminating Stories from the People of NWPX Infrastructure
At NWPX, our team members are the foundation of our success, and we take pride in our skilled and talented workforce. This series shares the inspiring stories and career journeys of employees from different departments and locations. In each installment, we interview one of our team members and delve into their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments, and discover why they choose to build their career with NWPX.
Spotlight on: Rick Guerrero
Welder III | Adelanto, CA
For nearly a quarter of a century, Richard Guerrero—known to everyone as Rick—has been building some of the most complex fittings that come through Northwest Pipe Company’s Adelanto facility, from small custom pieces to supersize sections of pipe. In his role as Welder III, Rick thrives on tackling challenging projects, mentoring others in safety practices, and finding pride in the teamwork that makes it all possible. His story is one of resilience, growth, and commitment to the craft.
How did you find your way to your current role?
I started here in September 2000 as a temp in maintenance. I was hired full-time in 2001, moved into fabrication and got to work with all the different welding processes, fitting, and operating the shop cranes. I was promoted to lead, did safety, and then I went back to being a fabricator on the floor. I like it more than being in the office—I like building stuff, I always have.
After 24 years, what makes you want to stay with the Company?
Being part of the team with everyone else here in the shop gives a sense of fulfillment—especially with our leadership and shop management. It’s a welcoming place that I like coming back to every day. There’s also a sense of pride that comes with the work. We build things here that I’m very proud of. I take pictures of some jobs, and when people ask, ‘What do you do?’ I can show them, and they can’t believe it—pipe that’s as big as or bigger than the trucks that haul it!
How would you summarize what you do (in a nutshell)?
I’m a welder, fabricator, fitter. Anything that’s not standard—cross pieces, elbows, large diameter, heavy wall thickness—anything that engineers can design for water transmission, we can build it.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
Each day is a fresh start. In the morning, the lead hands out assignments and prioritizes tasks. We check the drawings and job specs, verify the parts, do dimensional checks, and make sure everything matches up. If it’s a complicated piece, we work with the leads and supervisors to figure out the best order to build it. Then, the Quality Control team comes in to inspect and give the okay for welding.
What do you find most rewarding or exciting about your job?
When you see something on paper that looks impossible and then you’re able to build it. That’s rewarding. Some jobs are really tight on specs, kind of a nail-biter, and the measurements need to be exact. When you get it right and it lands just the way you want, that’s like hitting the bullseye or bowling a strike.
Describe a favorite project you’ve worked on so far.
The recent Yuba Water Agency project was a big one—a 14-foot diameter pipe with 1.5” walls, over 80,000 pounds. We had to modify our equipment to handle it. Another one was from a few years ago, we did a project for Greater Vancouver Regional District in Canada—big tunnel pipe that had to be disassembled before shipping, dropped down into a tunnel, reassembled, and welded in place. That was a challenge, but it came together.
You recently won the “Safety Star” Award—why is safety so important to you?
It’s important that everyone gets here safe and leaves safe every day. I’ve learned a lot from our safety programs here, and I like being able to share that with others—talking about safety protocols, hazards, and ways to keep people aware. In this industry, there are a lot of dangers—forklifts, cranes, ladders—and things can get unsafe very quickly. For example, falls were the leading cause of workplace fatalities in our industry in the U.S. and California in 2023. That shows how important it is to take safety seriously and keep it top of mind.
What advice do you have for someone starting a career in your field?
Show up every day, pay attention to your surroundings, and listen to the people who have the experience. Take their advice, establish yourself as a good worker, and always think about safety.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my grandkids—I’ve got five of them. Also, my wife and I like to go to concerts, listen to music at clubs, vacation, and travel around Southern California.
