SamCorp, one of El Paso's largest contractors, does not appear to be at work.
First, some quick background: Steve Sambrano and Ramiro Guzman, prominent members of the El Paso business community, were indicted in South Texas in late March. [april 3, 2008 npt background]
More recently, the company stopped three projects and lost a fourth: It gave up the UTEP bookstore and two Ysleta school district projects, and the Socorro district canceled one project. The Socorro and UTEP projects alone accounted for about $30 million in work, according to an El Paso Times article on May 18.
The article noted that SamCorp officials could not be reached by telephone for comment.
NPT checked the SamCorp website, which did not have anything but the company phone number and address. None of the links were active.
The SamCorp telephone number brings up a message that repeats the number and states it "has been temporarily disconnected."
The SamCorp office at 1201 N. Mesa was locked. The lights inside were not all turned on; light from the hallway helped illuminate the office interior, as did the camera flash. A business card was shoved into the door frame.
There was unopened mail on the floor, an empty receptionist desk, and boxes piled in a corner.
