Richard Riddle joined the Marine Corps in 1995, at a time the USA was at war. Upon his arrival at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan, a ceasefire was called. In his own words, he joined the military because of a deep sense of patriotism, and because serving was a family tradition. His father served in the Army during the Vietnam War. Richard served until 1999 as an electrician.
“Throughout my active service, I traveled to many countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa,” says Richard. “I experienced many different cultures, which helped develop me into a very versatile individual with a lot of experience very fast.” Beyond the experience element, he values the military for its leadership training. “The United States Marine Corps starts leadership training from the time you step on the yellow footprints in bootcamp, all the way through your service, and the rest of your life because there are standards to uphold,” says Richard.
His construction career also began when he was in the military. He started his work in the E&I field while in the Marine Corps, then worked his way up through the field doing electrical work, fitting, site management, and more.
Richard is a recent addition to Performance Contractors, joining the team in January 2024 as a E&I Construction Manager. He loves working in construction because the trade gives you the endless opportunity to continue learning.
Upon his arrival at Performance, he very quickly realized how much we support our veterans. “I pulled up to the office on my first day, and noticed the special parking spaces reserved for veterans,” he says. “I’ve never witnessed an organization outside of active duty or those designed specifically for veterans going out of their way to support vets like Performance. It’s impressive and makes me very proud.”
Richard believes the values he learned in the military tend to mirror the values at Performance Contractors. “The highest priority in the Marine Corps is ‘Mission Accomplishment’ which translates in our industry to get the job done in the following order: Safety, Quality, & Honest Hard Work. The second priority is ‘Troop Welfare’ which translates to taking care of all individuals taking care of you however you can.”
Through his service, Richard learned that becoming a hero is nothing like a Hollywood portrayal or a Superman story. “Becoming a hero happens when you contribute to your team at the current moment,” says Richard.
When he’s not at work, Richard enjoys spending time with family, hunting locally and in the Rocky Mountains, and fishing (fresh or salt).
