Eric Onick Mixes It Up
Eric Onick has a lot of fans. There are his VPCS colleagues, who appreciate how he can be counted on to step up and lend a hand, always bringing his wonderful sense of humor to his work. There’s also his brother, who still gets a kick out of being mistaken for him. And of course, there are his young children, who are grateful for his wacky pancake recipe innovations. Learn more about all of the above in this Q-and-A with Eric:
Q: What’s your VPCS role?
A: I came on board to help the VPCS Napa Valley Unified team right at the start of last year’s “summer jam,” as we call it. That’s when school lets out and we get very busy working on sites while students and staff are on break. I have a long background as a general contractor, so I’m very involved in the technical side of construction.
Q: What inspired you to shift from general contracting to construction management?
A: I was a contractor for 17 years, running public works projects all over the Bay Area, and I worked with Ray Green and VPCS on one of those projects. I was impressed from the start at how collaborative VPCS was as a partner, and when Ray introduced me to Mark and Mike Van Pelt, it became clear that they ran their company with a real family feel. When it was time for me to make a change, I was excited to join the VPCS family and bring my GC experience to the team. Plus, my degree is in construction management [from Chico State University], so it felt like a natural transition.
Q: Have you always lived in the Bay Area?
A: Yes – I grew up in a little town in west Marin County. After my brother and I came back from college, we bought a place together in northern Marin. We’ve both been there ever since – although we don’t still live in the same house. I don’t think the wives would like that.
Q: It sounds like you and your brother are close.
A: Very. We’re identical twins, so it’s the real deal. We obviously went to the same schools growing up, then we both went to Chico State and majored in construction management. We decided not to work for the same companies after graduation, but we have worked for competitors in the past, which was pretty interesting.
Q: If you’re identical, people must get you confused fairly regularly.
A: Well if you’re around us long enough, you can tell the difference. But … yeah … we often get confused for each other. When we were in middle school, the substitute teachers couldn’t tell us apart so we’d switch desks and we thought it was the funniest thing ever. Then, in college, we’d go everywhere together so we started getting referred to as “the construction management twins.” These days, since we’re both in the Bay Area public works field, people who don’t know we’re twins just assume we change jobs a lot since they think they see us on different projects. And since we live so close to each other, I’ll be at the hardware store or someplace in town and someone I don’t know will wave at me thinking I’m my brother. It’s pretty funny. But we’re used to it.
Q: Speaking of family, tell us about yours.
A: My wife and I have two daughters who are three and nearly seven.
Q: And, from the looks of this picture of you in the apron, you’re the pancake hero in your house.
A: We have a weekly tradition of Pancake Sunday. The idea is that whatever else is going on, we’ll all gather at home on Sunday mornings and have pancakes. My wife and I want our girls to have this little constant in their childhoods, like a core memory. Then, we picture them coming home when they’re grown and we’ll do it even then. It’s a lot of fun. I can get pretty creative with the ingredients. A family favorite is pork brisket pancakes. My Instagram page is just littered with pancake content.
Q: Does your wife help with pancake prep?
A: No, I’m the pancake guy. But she’s a great cook. And she does the mom thing around the clock, while also having a full-time career in tech communications. She does it all and I respect her more than anybody in my entire life. She’s Superwoman.
Q: Sounds like you make a great team.
A: Well, family is huge for both of us. That’s why I’ve transitioned so easily to VPCS, because it’s a family operation and everyone here is committed to doing the right thing. So I guess my core values complement the company’s. They didn’t even have to sell me on joining the team – it was an easy decision because I had seen for myself that the people here really are all about honoring The Van Pelt Way.
April 21, 2025