Michael Antonen, founder and co-owner of AMTEK Builders, started where many builders of his generation did. On jobsites, helping farmers frame buildings, replacing roofs and learning the trade one project at a time. “He started off helping farmers frame and all of that kind of stuff,” his son, Andrew Antonen, who would later join his father as co-owner of AMTEK Builders, recalls. “Then he started removing roofs and replacing roofs. Eventually he joined the union carpenters and was a union carpenter for a while.” That foundation would eventually take Michael to California, where he found himself repairing structures damaged by earthquakes and fires. What began as side work ultimately led him to obtain his contractor’s license and establish AMTEK Builders, laying the groundwork for a company that would survive for more than four decades in an industry where longevity is anything but guaranteed. Years later, Andrew joined the business, bringing a new generation into the company his father had built and helping carry its reputation, craftsmanship and values forward. Together, Michael and Andrew now lead AMTEK Builders as co-owners, each representing a different chapter in the company’s continuing story. Some legacies are inherited. Others have to be rebuilt. For AMTEK Builders, the story is a little bit of both.
Today, AMTEK Builders has become one of New Mexico’s most respected specialty
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