Reliable Accountable Service
Founded in 1999, RAS Construction is a Florida corporation with a long and successful history in overseeing debris pickup and removal operations resulting from natural disasters. RAS is a 100% minority-owned company with extensive experience in providing quality emergency debris removal services to municipalities and the communities they serve.
RAS’s experience in the disaster recovery industry dates to Hurricane Andrew when RAS’s President aided in the recovery efforts of Dade County (now known as Miami-Dade County) and the Cities of Miami, Miami Beach, and Coral Gables. Most recently, during the Hurricane Irma recovery effort, RAS serviced over 18,000 homes throughout Miami-Dade County in less than 90 days, while hauling approximately 1 million cubic yards of debris in the overall effort.
The RAS motto is Reliable Accountable Service. Our motto personifies our fundamental principles when providing quality emergency disaster relief services to our customers.
Reliable. RAS does not overpromise and underdeliver and will not commit to any project unless we can meet and exceed the client’s expectations. RAS will always maintain its commitment to being reliable to our customers, ensuring complete transparency in our resource allocation, meeting and often exceeding our delivery standards.
Accountable. RAS remains accountable to the client throughout the contract term, providing open access to information and continuous status updates on the debris removal progress. Although unforeseen circumstances may occur, we swiftly address any potential issues which may arise during the recovery process and hold our field and administrative teams accountable for their activities. Our administrative operation holds itself to the highest standards, conducting periodic internal reviews and progress reports to maximize recovery efforts in the safest and most proficient manner. Our implemented safeguards assure the client that any and all tickets invoiced to the client are consistent with the client’s instructions and accurate prior to submitting an invoice. We understand that flawless billing practices means the client has a smoother and speedier FEMA reimbursement process. We are infinitely accountable to our clients for our internal work product and our delivery of services in the field.
Service. RAS continuously strives to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations. Our goal is to always provide exceptional service to our clients in all aspects of the recovery process and to the communities and its residents which our clients serve. RAS always dedicates additional resources to address residents’ concerns. RAS always makes sure that prior to servicing the next residential property, all debris is removed from the right-of-way of the previous location. This practice is unique to our operation and part of our never-ending commitment to providing personalized, professional and efficient emergency debris removal services.
Our Team
Pedro R. Pelaez, President
Mr. Pelaez has over 25 years of experience in overseeing the administration of disaster recovery operations dating to when Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida in 1992. Mr. Pelaez has been a Florida licensed general contractor since 1974.
Mr. Pelaez is responsible for presiding over all of RAS’s disaster recovery operations. He deals directly with clients and field operations daily. Mr. Pelaez holds himself directly accountable for the quality and efficiency of RAS’s service delivery through a “hands-on” management style.
Thanks to his vast experience in the disaster recovery business, Mr. Pelaez is able to easily adapt and adjust expeditiously to ensure that all the necessary tools and resources are in place to address the specific priorities that a natural disaster may produce.
Alfredo J. Balsera, Vice-President & Principal
Mr. Balsera is responsible for public affairs, public outreach, client relations, public relations, branding and marketing. Mr. Balsera also provides support to the project management and finance operations.
Mr. Balsera has been involved with RAS since 2005 and was active in the company’s cleanup efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. In 2017, together with the company’s senior management team, Mr. Balsera’s efforts helped RAS become one of the top debris haulers for Miami-Dade County after Hurricane Irma.
One of Mr. Balsera’s main priorities within RAS is to ensure that the company’s disaster recovery work is as seamless and undisruptive as possible for the public, the neighborhoods being serviced, and the contracting municipality or agency. Mr. Balsera guides RAS’s robust customer service program which places a strong focus on ensuring that the public’s concerns are addressed diligently as the recovery process is underway despite the uncomfortable conditions created by a natural disaster’s aftermath. A key component of this approach is minimizing complaints that rise to the level of municipal or agency officials by dealing with the complaints upfront.
Michael Pelaez, Chief Compliance Officer
Prior to serving RAS as its Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), Mr. Pelaez was a field supervisor for RAS during Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. Mr. Pelaez has extensive experience working with and for governmental entities. Previously, Mr. Pelaez worked as a healthcare fraud investigator for the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) Zone Program Integrity Contractor and as a director in the compliance departments at two of the top ten largest public hospitals in the United States. Mr. Pelaez also worked as a legislative aide for a Miami-Dade County Commissioner.
In addition to his capacity as CCO, Mr. Pelaez oversees the entire administrative operation of RAS. Furthermore, his primary responsibilities include providing compliance guidance to municipalities and agencies on all applicable federal, state, and local rules and regulations, providing risk management guidance to RAS, and ensuring that RAS’s policies and procedures are followed accordingly.
Mr. Pelaez’s experience in the field and his compliance knowledge have been critical towards ensuring that RAS complies with all FEMA, state and local rules and regulations. Furthermore, Mr. Pelaez’s experience in combating fraud, waste and abuse in the public sector has proven to be enormously beneficial for municipalities and agencies because Mr. Pelaez has implemented operational procedures with the goal of maximizing RAS’s recovery and response time from the moment the natural disaster hits, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.
Mr. Pelaez obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctor degree from St. Thomas University School of Law. Mr. Pelaez is also a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Aliet Guevara, Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Guevara’s experience with RAS dates to Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma when she served RAS in the same capacity.
Ms. Guevara’s primary responsibilities for RAS are managing RAS’s finances, payments and billing accuracy, record-keeping, and invoicing. Ms. Guevara also performs audits and monitoring related services, to ensure maximum accuracy in the invoices presented to the client, and payments made to our vendors and suppliers are handled in the most efficient manner. Ms. Guevara obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Miami.
Ariel Lugo, Logistics Coordinator
Mr. Lugo worked for RAS as its Operations Coordinator during the Hurricane Irma recovery effort. Mr. Lugo’s main responsibility is to serve as the primary liaison between RAS subcontractors, the RAS field team and the RAS administrative team. Mr. Lugo’s efforts proved critical to RAS’s overall success during the Hurricane Irma project.
Julio E. Calil, Administrative Manager
Mr. Calil recently joined the RAS team in 2019. Mr. Calil’s primary responsibilities are providing assistance with the coordination of overall administrative operations and handling customer service related matters. Mr. Calil holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Florida International University.