Paul and Chris Graham with their sons Levi (above) who is 18 months old
and Tristan (below) who is four. Chris and Paul are expecting their third child any day.

When your company is awarded the task of demolishing the very hospital in which you were born, exactly 40 years to the day, perhaps that could be taken as a sign that you are in the right business.

Of course, to break things in the right way requires a degree of professionalism and knowledge. Therefore the goal is to be destructive in a constructive way-if you know what I mean. This calls for extensive training. For the ability to break things in the right way, so that the wrong things are not also broken, is an art form. But it also helps when the right breaks come your way.

The unique, sometimes hunger-causing, name of Graham Crackers Demo, Inc. is a combination of Paul Graham, owner and president, and "crackers" which refers to the breaking of cement. They are in the business of demolishing concrete buildings, and other cement structures such as freeway bridges. They specialize in the high-risk jobs from which many other contractors shy away. Many of these jobs involve working at night, on bridge work and the sort.

Paul Graham began building his experience base at an early age. At twenty he found himself working for Penhall Company, entrusted with his own truck. He quickly moved into operating a mini max. This is a remote-controlled mini excavator. As you can imagine, this piece of equipment is ideal for demolishing hazardous sites such as nuclear reactors. So this is what Paul did for Penhall for about twelve years, traveling all over the country. When he finally settled down to a more home-based lifestyle, he was a supervisor for Penhall.

Graham Crackers Demo is headquartered in Menifee, California.
With a fleet of Caterpillar excavators and up to 25 operators
they stand poised, ready to take on the most demanding jobs.

Then, after working nearly two decades for Penhall, Paul set out on his own. He had much encouragement from a close friend, Ron Hover, who even supplied the necessary cash to buy his own tractor and start his own company. This was not only a wonderful break for Paul, but Ron also supplied much needed emotional support as well, sharing in the ups and downs that fresh enterprises often experience. So on August 13, 1997, Graham Crackers Demo, Inc. was born. With one late model used Caterpillar 235C, Paul went immediately to work for Cleveland Wrecking.

About a year later, the next big break came in the form of a 5 million dollar remediation job for Dominguez Energy, at the corner of Wilmington and Victoria, in Carson, CA. This huge job, which took three years to complete, was also a huge challenge. Paul needed more operators and more equipment. Financing the necessary purchases was a strain, creating some tough situations. But they came through with it, ending with an admirable profit.

Graham Crackers Demo, Inc. is a union contractor located in Menifee, CA. They typically work for companies like Cleveland Wrecking, Penhall Company, Iron Horse Grading, Hensel Phelps, Edick & Watt, Suket, and Kiewit. They will have anywhere from 5 to 25 operators working for them at any given time. In the beginning, Paul contacted the union in search of Journeymen operators, but could not find what he was looking for. So he trained his own apprentices. This move allowed these individuals to grow with the company, becoming Journeymen in the process, and greatly aiding in the success of the company. Paul understands and appreciates the immense contribution these men have made in making Graham Crackers Demo, Inc. the success that it is. Today they do nearly $3 million.

PaulÕs wife of ten years is Chris, who is also the company Secretary and Treasurer. This relationship works well, for while Chris handles all the office duties, Paul is working in the field, which he loves to do. They have two sons, Tristan (4), and Levi (18 months), and a baby girl on the way. They love to get away and ride their quads and dirt bikes, or cruise the Colorado on their pontoon boat.

Paul Graham's personal hobbies include sand drag racing. Shown here racing his
Top Eliminator he has appropriately named "Excavator". Paul races Top Fuelers
often beating them, and recently narrowly missed setting the record in
his class by just 1/10 of a second.

But PaulÕs personal hobby is sand drag racing. Even though he is in the Top Eliminator class, his buggy, the "Excavator", often competes against Top Fuelers, often beating them. Last year he missed setting the record for his class by just 1/10 of a second.

But donÕt expect Graham Crackers Demo, Inc. to miss a beat. They will continue breaking their way towards greater growth, and success. For more information, visit their website at www.grahamcrackersdemo.com.