Zachry Group
I started with Commonwealth Engineering and Construction, which eventually sold to Zachry Group.
Commonwealth was my first chance to own part of a company that strategically wanted to build its operations and sell to a larger firm. We set the strategy, executed the strategy (increased sales and backlog) and sold the company within just over two years.
The good part about being a shareholder when you sell is the fact you get a cut of the transaction. But if you don’t make enough money to retire, be careful who you sell to because you will still need to work for them.
Don’t get me wrong - Zachry is a fantastic company and one of the best industrial construction companies on the Gulf Coast, but their marketing and communications needs didn’t fully align with what I could offer them. I did learn even more about the construction industry, recruiting and training craft labor and managing local public perceptions during a construction project, but I had very little room for growth at Zachry and didn’t really want to relocate to San Antonio.