Craig Campbell: Race to the Top

By Matt Solis, Editor

Craig Campbell was no stranger to construction when he started helping his brother remodel his vintage house in early 2000, but as soon as the process got underway, he found himself gravitating toward an unfamiliar yet intriguing subset of the industry. “We had to jack up the house, redo the foundation and perform all the excavation work underneath, which was a fairly complicated process with limited access,” he remembers. “I used to work in construction, but I was mostly a laborer and a carpenter, so when we got to the excavation process, it was really interesting and I realized it was something I wanted to do.”

Two years later, Craig established Campbell Services, LLC. and started taking on excavation projects throughout the East Bay. Today, he says his favorite part of his job is utilizing state-of-the-art machinery and his decades of expertise to effectively solve his clients’ problems. “Every excavation job is like a puzzle, so I approach the work with that mindset. Each client’s problem is unique and it’s up to me to figure out the best solution, which I really enjoy.”

Craig was born and raised in the Bay Area, and he says he has a lot of appreciation for living and working in his lifelong locale. “There are lots of friendly people here, and in terms of my business, the rolling hills create a lot of earth movement. The digging part is somewhat difficult, but challenging work is stimulating for me, so I enjoy it.”

Outside of work, Craig enjoys visiting with his siblings and attending Oakland A’s games (he’s a season ticket holder), but the majority of his free time is spent on his lifelong passion of auto racing. “I’m a big racing enthusiast, so I like attending races in person and watching NASCAR and Formula 1 on TV. In my younger days, I worked in the pit crew for several racing teams, and I even raced a bit myself—in 1996, I won an RDC [Racing Drivers Club] championship and a track championship at Thunderhill Raceway.”

In regard to a personal or professional philosophy, Craig advocates for the importance of being proactive in all aspects of life. “My motto is simply, ‘Get it done,’” he affirms. “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but you definitely need to be hardworking to succeed.”

When asked what he’d do if he could retire tomorrow, Craig unsurprisingly says he’d make a beeline for the nearest track. “I would go to more races and research what it would cost to do some vintage car racing. It would be a lot of work, but it would also be a good way to spend my time.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I would go to Southern England so I could attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Q: What’s your favorite car from your racing days?
A: I had a Datsun 240Z that I absolutely loved.

Q: If you were a professional baseball player, what number would you wear on your jersey?
A: 23. A lot of people associate that number with Michael Jordan, but 23 was the number on all my race cars and it’s also my birthday.

Q: If you could talk to anyone living or dead, who would it be?
A: My grandfather. He died when I was two years old so I never got to talk to him. He fought in World War I and was awarded the Victoria Cross by Edward VIII.