At Caliagua, people make the difference.

Leadership

Our team of dedicated professionals brings deep experience, technical precision, and personal accountability to every project we build. From project management to engineering, estimating to field operations, each member of our team plays a vital role in upholding the trust our clients place in us.


Individual commitment and accountability to our mission-driven culture is the common thread that runs throughout our diverse team. Our end result is building safe, sustainable water infrastructure for the communities we serve. Meet the team that brings our values to life – through technical excellence and construction expertise.

Executive Management

  • BA, Business Administration; CSU Fullerton
  • USACE, CQM; Competent Person
  • Cofiroute USA; Project Controls, Project Scheduling, Construction Management
  • JOA Group; Project Control Specialist/ Construction Manager
  • Robison Prezioso, Inc.; Controller
  • Miranda Ac; Staff Accountant
  • BS, Mathematics and Economics; UC, San Diego
  • Primavera P6; CM-BIM; CPR/ First Aid; Microsoft Excel; Project Management Professional (PMP)
  • The Bishops School
  • Wells Fargo Advisors
  • BA, Communications; CSU, Chico
  • Manpower; Regional Human Resources Manager
  • Sr. VP HR Lucky Brand under Manpower

Project Management

  • BS, BS, Construction Management; CSU Long Beach
  • OSHA 10 Hour; CPR/ First Aid; Certified Erosion, Sediment and Stormwater Inspector (CESSWI); Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP)
  • Caliagua, Inc; Project Manager
  • BS, Mechanical Engineering; CSU Fullerton
  • Garcia & Assoc. Architects
  • California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo; Computer Engineering
  • MobilityWare
  • DevOps Intern
Trusted Partners

Ensuring access to clean, safe water and maintaining environmental sustainability, these trusted partners have all called on Caliagua for one water solution or another. We’ve been helping with large projects all the way to system maintenance and management since 1978.

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Gus Bruner

CEO – President

During high school and college, Bruner learned and studied the water and wastewater industry by working in the field as a laborer with skilled pipefitters, carpenters, laborers, and operating engineers to construct water and wastewater facilities.

Other early career achievements included working with a pipeline and mechanical contractor as project engineer, cost accountant, and estimator.

Upon completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration at California State University, Fullerton, Bruner worked for two years in public accounting and worked with several prestigious public accounting firms, including KPMG, and gained valuable work experience. Subsequently, he transferred to the private sector as a controller for multi-national industrial painting and coatings contractor, Robinson-Prezioso (Cor-Ray Painting) in 1984.

Under Bruner’s leadership, and supported by a talented, hardworking team of like-minded professionals, Caliagua has become a trusted leader in water and wastewater infrastructure construction throughout Southern California.

In addition to leadership of Caliagua, Bruner is Chair of the AGC Riverside-San Bernardino District. About this, he says, “It is an honor to serve as Chair. At Caliagua, we are committed to building infrastructure that strengthens communities, and AGC’s mission to support contractors and advance the industry aligns perfectly with our values.”

Cory Wolfrom

COO & Vice President

Cory Wolfrom is Caliagua’s Vice President and COO. Wolfrom joined Caliagua in 2014 as Project Engineer, following completion of his joint degree program in Mathematics and Economics at University of California, San Diego. He was then promoted to Project Manager before accepting his latest position. Wolfrom’s exceptional leadership, unwavering dedication, and significant contributions to Caliagua’s success and projects have been instrumental in Caliagua’s growth.

Wolfrom’s expertise has been showcased time and again through his excellent project execution, team collaboration, and resource management. He has successfully spearheaded multiple initiatives, ensuring that projects are completed on time, with the highest standards of quality and safety.

His mission is to continue leading Caliagua toward sustained success while consistently exceeding our clients’ expectations.

  • BS, Mathematics and Economics; UC, San Diego
  • Primavera P6; CM-BIM; CPR/ First Aid; Microsoft Excel; Project Management Professional (PMP)

Wolfrom’s certifications include:

  • CPR/First Aid
  • PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMP)
  • CM-BIM
  • Primavera P6

Cindi Bruner​

Chief Human Resources Officer

Cindi Bruner is the Chief Human Resources Officer. In this position, she oversees the company’s Human Resources area and all aspects of the function including talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, employee relations, and organizational policies. Mrs. Bruner joined Caliagua in 2021.

During her career of more than 35 years, she has held Human Resources leadership positions with several companies, Previously, she was Sr Vice President of HR at Lucky Brand Dungarees. Earlier in her career, she held positions as Director of Human Resources for Manpower and Sr Director of Human Resources for Nordstrom.

Mrs. Bruner holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Chico State University.

Ryan Ricard

Chief Estimator & Senior Project Manager

Ryan Ricard is Project Manager, and Lead Estimator at Caliagua and joined the firm in 2019. He received his degree in Construction Management at California State University, Long Beach in 2021.

Ricard initially joined the company as an intern and has progressed his way through several promotions including Project Engineer and Project Manager.

  1. Exceptional leadership in managing a diverse portfolio of projects, including the following:
  • Potable Water, Stormwater, AND Wastewater Pumping & Treatment Plants
  • LAX & San Diego International Airport Cisterns & Infrastructure Improvements
  • Railroad wet utility Infrastructure Improvements
  • Walt Disney Co. – Cotino Resort (24 Acre Lagoon Project)
  • Salinity and Groundwater Enhancement Project (Yucaipa Valley Water District)

Through meticulous planning, strategic foresight, and effective resource management, Ryan has ensured that each project not only meets but exceeds client expectations.

  1. Innovation and Efficiency: Under Ricard’s guidance, our team has embraced innovative approaches and technologies that have streamlined operations and improved project efficiency. He has excelled with implementation of Caliagua’s workflow application & technology, from estimating, preconstruction & procurements, scheduling, and construction.  Utilizing & Leading company resources (Labor, Materials, Equipment, & Subcontractors) that have significantly enhanced project delivery and client satisfaction.
  2. Exceptional Estimation Expertise: As Chief Estimator, Ricard has brought unparalleled expertise to cost estimation and budget management. His meticulous attention to detail and comprehensive understanding of project requirements have played a crucial role in accurately forecasting costs, optimizing budgets, and maintaining profitability across projects.
  3. Team Collaboration and Mentorship: Beyond individual achievements, Ricard has fostered a culture of collaboration and mentorship within our team. His leadership style encourages open communication, knowledge sharing, and professional growth among team members, contributing to a cohesive and motivated workforce.
  4. Client and Stakeholder Relations: Ricard has been pivotal in nurturing strong client relationships built on trust, integrity, and a deep understanding of their needs. His proactive approach to client management has not only secured repeat business but has also solidified our reputation as a trusted partner in the industry.
  • LEED Green Associate; Credential ID 0011494186
  • OSHA 10-Hour Construction Safety and Health; Credential ID 31-006015140
  • Certified Erosion, Sediment and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI); Credential ID 00006000
  • Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP); Credential ID 27947
He has led a number of important projects at Caliagua, including:

Kari Mares

Project Manager & Business Systems Training Lead

Kari Mares joined Caliagua as Project Engineer in 2022 and was promoted to Project Manager in 2024. She earned her BS, Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Fullerton. Previously, she worked for Garcia Associates, a full-service Landscape Architectural Design firm.

Mares has led a number of important projects at Caliagua, including:

Cole Robinson​

Project Management & IT / Business Analytics​

Cole Robinson is Caliagua’s Project Manager within the IT & Business Analytics department. Previously, Robinson worked for MobilityWare (Irvine) as a DevOps Engineer, assisting in the automation of AWS cloud infrastructure using Terraform and interned at Bridgford Foods, supporting Bridgford’s field sales team with various device firmware related upgrades.

Since coming aboard with Caliagua, Robinson has helped us address a number of exciting opportunities. For instance, we have been interested in quantifying market size and identifying specific project owner opportunities. Cole used the OpenAI API to extract, analyze, and prepare CIP data into a usable forecast for over 50+ different water agencies in Southern California and then processed and cleaned the data into an actionable Excel Spreadsheet Report to predict future water infrastructure projects over the next 5-10 years.

Additionally, Cole has led Caliagua’s IT/ Business Systems Analyst team in development of a full-stack internal web application to improve data visibility for all of our jobs. He has also led efforts to aggregate and structure Caliagua’s company data into AI-ready datasets, enabling faster analysis and more actionable insights across estimating, project controls, and executive reporting. As a result of this project, we now utilize a local server to cloud pipeline that stores our data on AWS (Amazon Web Services), which provides easy, real-time access anywhere on the web. A third gain from this single project is the creation of several new automation tools that use the Open AI API to reduce manual data entry in multiple departments. A bid opportunities page fetches potential bid opportunities from multiple bid listing portals and centralizes them into one location. This allows our estimating team to quickly filter and find potential projects that Caliagua would like to bid. A custom schedule analysis tool Robinson and IT team member, Janice Nguyen, have recently developed integrates information from Primavera P6 and allows our Project Managers and Caliagua’s executive team to forecast expected monthly revenues, identify project task delays, and ensure that our project schedules stay up to date and on time.

Caliagua
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