Story & Lesson Highlights with Alan Santana of Wilmington, CA

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Alan Santana . Check out our conversation below.

Alan , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day will usually start out around 5am. I will send out information to my paving crew and then grab a protein drink and head out for the day. I will phone my office general manager, Michelle, and see if we have any new calls for estimates. I will usually check in with my publicist, Christian Alan, to see if there is anything important happening with my books, or if I have any upcoming events in the near future.

I will then drive out to the job site to check on the paving crew and get them set up for the day. I then proceed to any appointments that I have with customers to go over job sites and to write up estimates. I will then stop for lunch it time permits me to, and then head to the office to the office to sit down with my office manager Michelle to go over any stuff that I may have missed during the day. My day will usually end around 7pn to 8pm in the evening. I will then drive home to Orange County and have a late dinner with my wife Amnamarie, and settle in for the evening

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I was a former amateurand professional boxer, in the 1970’s and 1980’s. After a career ending traffic accident that ended my boxing career, I focused on my paving company that I founded in December of 1989. Along the way I founded my non-profit NO TEEN RIDERS, that has won several awards for my work with teen drivers across the country. Wrote two award-winning books titled UNPROTECTED A TACTICAL APPROACH TO BOXING, BUSINESS, AND LIFE and UNPROTECTED THE FINAL ROUND. I am currently working on my third book titled UNPROTECTED I WAS THAT BOY. It will be released in early 2026.
My company Bay Cities Paving Inc. was recently recognized as one of the top 1,000 contractors in America for
2025. We continue to grow and service strip malls, shopping centers, industrial complexes, and public works projects throughout Southern California. My employees are very much a part of the team that helps to make my company successful. We will continue to grow in 2026 by providing our customers with quality work and good customer service. I have always stayed focused on building a successful company that truly cares about its customers. I am very proud that we are rated 5 stars on YELP, Google and the BBB.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I truly feel that once a bond is broken, you can never never go back and repair it. I believe in karma, and that you reap what you sew. I attended Southern California Military Academy in Signal Hill California and was thought respect and honor. The motto of our school was CHARACTER BEFORE CAREER and to this very day, I still abide by that motto in everything that I attach my name to be it my business, my literally work, or anything that I am involved with from movies as an actor or a producer to my paving company. I will not deviate from that, no matter what. That is why after 37 years in business as a contractor, my company Bay Cities Paving Inc is still around and relevant in today’s world. Contracting is a tough business to be involved with, but as long as you stand behind every project with quality work as if it were your very first project you will succeed.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
As a child, I was bullied while attending Fries Avenue Elementary School in Wilmington, CA. It was not a very fun time for me, so I created a diversion by entertaining my classmates at lunch time with entertainment by singing and dancing in front of them, or telling jokes. At one point when I was about 8 years old, I decided to ask my mother and father to teach me how to protect myself so that the bullying would finally stop. After many months of my father training me in our garage, and learning how to defend myself by putting on a pair of boxing gloves and hitting a heavy bag was I confident enough to finally be able to stand up and protect myself. It was a good feeling to not be bullied ever again. That experience lead to a 50 plus year career in boxing as an amateur, and a professional boxer. Today I am still involved with the sport professionally as a supervisor and international boxing judge.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would have to say yes. I have built and solid and respected business because of who I am, and how I believe that you should treat people, no matter what the circumstances are. Being true to ones self has always been something that I have have always followed no matter what the situation or circumstances were. I have always been passionate about everything that I have set out to do from my business, the film industry or my writing. It has always been important to me to never ever forget where I came from. Today my business is in the same neighborhood that I grew up in, Wilmington, CA. for the past 37 years.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What will you regret not doing? 
That is an interesting question. I would not regret anything that Inhabe done up to this point in my life. I have always believed in timing in life, and that being in the right place at the right time would happen when the timing was right. I truly believe that as human beings we are capable of accomplishing anything that we set our minds to. As an ex-professional boxer, and attending a military school as a young boy that it has equipped me with the tools to succeed in marriage, raising a family and being a successful business owner. No one should ever have to regret not doing something that they wanted to do, even if they failed. I believe that failure helps to make a person that much stronger, and helps to build character in a person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BayCitiesPaving.com www.AlanSantana.com
• Instagram: AlanSantana2430
• Linkedin: Bay Cities Paving
• Facebook: BayCitiesPaving Alan.santana1
• Yelp: Bay Cities Paving Lomita