As a child, Jose Montoya worked alongside his family picking grapes in California vineyards. Today this Marriott School alum is president of M2 Group, a fast-growing, Mesa, Arizona-based civil engineering firm. Founded in 1998 by Montoya and Tom Palmer, M2 Group has grown from three employees in one location to more than ninety employees in three locations including Mexico.
“While our growth has been fostered by the strong market for residential new construction in the Phoenix metropolitan area, it is our dedication to client satisfaction that has allowed us to build a solid reputation in such a short time,” Montoya says. “Our clients trust us to provide them with the highest quality engineering product.”
Montoya’s company helps plan and direct residential and commercial expansion—creating plans for sewers, water supply lines, electrical lines, and roadways. He finds civil engineering rewarding because it allows him to directly contribute to his community.
“When I pass by project sites and tell my family, ‘I did that,’ it is a very good feeling,” Montoya says. “Engineering design can be rewarding because it reflects who you are, and the opportunity to ‘do it right’ is always in front of you.”
Montoya traces his professional success to his early fruit-picking experiences. “Picking grapes as a child helped shape who I am,” he says. “Yes, it was hard. We worked from sunup to sundown. But it was also fun because the whole family worked together. I learned that any success we earned was accomplished as a family.”
That same spirit of teamwork persists in the M2 Group as Montoya trains and encourages others. “My goal is to provide my employees with opportunities to develop and grow and also to create additional employment opportunities for talented young engineers,” says Montoya, who created the firm’s name by combining the first letters of his last name and his wife’s maiden name, Marin.
Montoya began his formal education at the Universidad Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico, where he earned his BS in civil engineering and graduated first in his class. He earned his MBA from the Marriott School in 1996.
“Before going through the MBA program, I had little sense of the business side of my field,” Montoya says. “The Marriott School offered me the tools I needed to effectively run my civil engineering business and helped with my personal development as well. I learned how to present my ideas, network, and make proactive decisions.”
Montoya has been a registered Arizona engineer for fourteen years. He and his wife, Letty, have five children and reside in Gilbert, Arizona. For more information about the M2 Group, visit www.m2groupinc.com.
