The longtime Los Gatan calls himself an "avid outdoorsman and fisherman," but he is also a family man who takes pride in his wife and four small children.

In addition, Bearden has managed to build a concrete firm over the past dozen years and hone its reputation as a reliable and quality contractor. In the summer of 2002, CB Construction was the company responsible for the new N. Santa Cruz Avenue sidewalks in Los Gatos' downtown streetscape project.

"I've been really proud of the work that happens in town," says the 39-year-old Bearden.

Besides being a rancher, a business owner and a contractor, Bearden is a cancer survivor.

Four years ago, Bearden was diagnosed with melanoma, just as his mother was battling the disease. Doctors removed a chunk of Bearden's leg, but his mother's melanoma was in its advanced stages and she died after six months.

Bearden still needs to go to the physician for quarterly checkups, since one isn't fully cured of melanoma until having been clear of the disease for seven years.

The experience didn't change his perspective on life, since Bearden's attitude before his diagnosis was "I get up and enjoy the whole damn day." Bearden says, however, that he realized that "it ain't up to you anymore. Life isn't fair. I truly understand that now. You just deal with the cards that are handed to you."

"Time is not my own at this stage of the game," Bearden says. "I just try to take each day and do a great job."

Bearden was in first grade when his family—his parents, older sister, Debra, and twin brother, Dave—moved to Cherrystone Drive. His father, Len, owned Bearden Construction, which built a row of houses in Los Gatos, and N. Santa Cruz Avenue fly-fishing store Millpond for the Sportsman.

As a member of the 1982 Los Gatos High School graduating class, Bearden was involved in athletics, playing football for the school, though brother Dave was the "king of the high school."

Former assistant principal Al Simon "would come and pinch me," Bearden recalls, laughing, "but I still love him."

After graduating, Bearden enrolled in San José State University, where he took on three experiences that would change his life: He met Jeanette, whom he would later marry; he started hunting more regularly; and he took a job working for Los Gatans Tom and Bill Albanese at Central Concrete.

Chris and Jeanette now live in a home on Ann Arbor Court with Chelsea, 10, Chris Jr. (CJ), 8, Melissa, 6, and Jenna, 3. The family recently moved back into their home, which was substantially remodeled, and which will have a game room in the back. The game room will include a sunken bar, pool table, a full elk mount and a full alligator mount.

The elk and 750-pound alligator Bearden shot when he went on a recent trip to Louisiana. Bearden prefers staying closer to home, however, going up to the Morgan Hill ranch at least once a week and hiking around in the county.

Although Bearden says he enjoys the meat from those animals, the experience is significant for more than just the shooting and killing. "Being out on the hills, being outdoors—that's my peace," Bearden says. "It's about getting the people out there and the camaraderie and the memory." Bearden often takes friends on their first hunt and says he gains "sheer enjoyment" from the experience.

Those memories include watching the sun rise on the opening of deer season and hunting down the wild boars that have invaded residential neighborhoods in recent years. "Try shooting a pig when it's coming straight at you," Bearden says, chuckling.

The meat generated from the hunt is considered a delicacy, and Bearden gives most of it away to his employees. "If you're going to shoot something, you'd better be planning on eating it," Bearden says.

As he was becoming more skilled as a hunter, Bearden was also learning more about the concrete business. While in his 20s, Bearden took his first jobs independent of Central Concrete, operating out of a black pickup truck.

These days, CB Construction's headquarters is a lot on Shelburne Way. Although the company has contracted with Los Gatos and the city of San Jose for major sidewalk projects, workers still do patios and driveways.

"I get nervous that people think I'm too big for that kind of work now," Bearden says. "What we like to do is residential work—decorative brickwork, patios, etc."

CB Construction's bigger projects include the foundation of a shopping center and concrete of a million-gallon pool, both in Portola, and the contracts with municipalities. The company is in its fourth year of a five-year contract with the city of San Jose, with automatic renewal once the contract expires.

According to San Jose Senior Construction Inspector Eric Newton, Bearden works hard and is reliable and responsive to the city. "We've never had any major problems with him," Newton says.

John Curtis, Los Gatos parks and public works director, agrees. "We've always had the sense that he's had the interest of the project at heart," Curtis says. With the streetscape project, Bearden told the town that he could finish each section of sidewalk in less than five days and followed through on that promise.

"The merchant population was satisfied with the work that he did," Curtis says.

"The town put itself under a lot of pressure. I'd give them an A for the job," Bearden says. The town is planning phase two of the streetscape project, and Bearden plans to bid for the project. "I'm going at it with an unbiased opinion and happy to get a chance at it," Bearden says.

On a personal side, Curtis says Bearden is a "go-getter" and an aggressive personality. "He does good work and he doesn't mind telling me so," Curtis says.

Incidentally, Bearden was named "most aggressive" by his fellow seniors at Los Gatos High.

Bearden agrees that he is enthusiastic and a self-starter. "I come in here to freakin' lead the parade, not just sit there and listen," Bearden says.

From Bearden as the sole worker, the company now has 21 employees divided into five crews, but Bearden says, "I still run every project. If someone calls, they speak to the owner."

"Chris is so organized. He knows every little detail," says CB Construction employee and Los Gatos resident Jim Oneal. According to Oneal, Bearden pays just as much attention to a 12-square-foot project as he does to a 1,000-square-foot strip of sidewalk.

"He is on top of everything; it's kind of a challenge for all of us to keep up," Oneal says. Oneal was an "Internet fallout" two years ago when his friend, Chris Bearden, offered him a job and says, "I've been extremely happy ever since—it was the best decision I ever made."

Greg Sweet, a 1986 Los Gatos High School graduate, has worked for Bearden for five years and says the company is extremely close-knit. Like Oneal, Sweet spends time with Bearden outside of work, going up to the ranch and being outdoors.

"We are such a family company. And the employees are everything in this company," Bearden says. "I would not be where I am without them." Six of CB Construction's men have been with the company for all of the past dozen years, and five members of one of the crews are members of the same family.

Photograph by George Sakkestad At a Los Gatos-Almaden Road home, Chris Bearden takes an active role in laying the foundation for a concrete walkway.

"I just try to be a good part of the community. That's why I was so adamant about doing a good job on N. Santa Cruz. It's a once-in-a-lifetime job in a lot of ways," Bearden says. "I'm proud of the town and just to be part of it is an amazing thing."

Oneal says he gets a thrill when he walks down N. Santa Cruz with his family on weekends and can point out sections of the sidewalk that he helped lay down. "We all love working for Los Gatos," Oneal says.

"Los Gatos is the most beautiful place in the world. I would never move," Bearden says. "The pride of the town gets better every year."

And with his own growing visibility and recognition, Bearden himself steadily grows even more proud of the town.

At the latest Los Gatos Children's Christmas and Holiday Parade, many people approached Bearden and thanked him for his work on the streetscape project.

"That just goes to show that you don't have to be a member of the town council to change the community," Bearden says.