Latest / The Commercial Builders’ Network (TCBN) / How She Built a 20+ Year Construction & Environmental Firm From Unemployment
Transcript
- speaker-0: When I first started, I really was still sending out job applications on a regular basis. I could never get a job. I started the firm because I was on unemployment. So my passion is why I ended up in Birmingham following something I believed in. When that job ended, I wanted to stay in Birmingham at that point in time. I really didn't have any money to move back to North Carolina. I said, well, what can I do in order to survive? And so I made a brochure based on services I had learned. I really want to encourage students to do as many internships as you can. to be able to be prepared for your future because you never know if you're going to start a company at an early age. I started my company at 28, 29, something like that. And so, you know, I went from being a person who was around the board table, but never leading the board table. speaker-1: is the Commercial Builders Network, where trust is restored, power is restored, and legacy is built. Let's get to work. Hello, beautiful people, and welcome to another episode of the Commercial Builders Network. My name is Tanisha Reed, and I am your host. And today we have the beautiful, amazing Latrice Slade. She is doing things that not very many people that look like us do, even though that's pretty common with most of my guests. But this is so unique. speaker-0: These are clean. speaker-1: She does land use and environmental studies and ⁓ let's just bring her in with the amazing, amazing things that she has going on. Hey, Lachice, how are you doing today? speaker-0: I'm doing fantastic. How are you doing? speaker-1: doing all right. It's a little bit of drag. I'm trying to get my stuff together. All morning, so I'm kind of like zoned out, but I'm blessed. So I'm glad that you are here. speaker-0: I've been editing it all Thank you for having me. speaker-1: Thank you. So please tell the people who you are and what are you known for. speaker-0: Well, my name's Latrice Slate. I am known for being the dirt lady. So that's my claim to fame. It's a little more complicated than that, but I speak to a lot of students and so they get it. speaker-1: Awesome, awesome. And why the dirt lady? speaker-0: Well, I've been taught the only African-American female that has a constructive testing lab in the country where we test grout, mortar, soil, and asphalt, just to name a few. speaker-1: Awesome. So before your titles and certifications, ⁓ who was Latrice Slade? speaker-0: Oh, that's such an interesting question. So Latrice Lane is just from Ahoskie, North Carolina, very small town. Grew up basically in a rural area that had some of the nicest, genuine people that you will ever meet. So that's my claim to fame from being from Ahoskie. After high school, I went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I studied communication studies, political science. went to graduate school and got a master's in regional planning and then stayed to go to law school. So I was one of those students when they asked at orientation who thinks they want to go here, you know, for undergrad and maybe graduate school, I did not raise my hand. So I was there probably longer than I anticipated when I first entered QSC. speaker-1: two whole degrees in political science and communications. Like how is that, how did that shift happen? speaker-0: Well, you know, I actually, this is one of the things I really want young people to know. You can be great in science when you're in high school and middle school and all that, but when you get to college, a lot of people are really good in science. And so you have to figure out what path is best for you. And I was not good in science when I went to college. And so I worked in a doctor's office in high school and I thought that I was going to be a doctor. But when I got to college, things did not go as planned. So I had to find out what am I actually good at? What am I actually interested in? And so I was soaring in my communication studies classes and political sciences classes, and that's why I majored in that in undergrad. speaker-1: So you've been in this industry, or at you have been in business for 20 plus years. Talk to me about sustaining business for that length of time, because a lot of people get in and get out. And what has sustained you through during that time? speaker-0: I would say what is the same me is the power of resiliency. We reinventing myself and what I'm doing and tapping into what is my purpose and where to all in this company to go and staying in tune with seeing what doors are opening for me. ⁓ think oftentimes we can push on doors that don't open, but you aren't looking at what is opening. And so that's something that I really try to. be in tune with, with being led to continue to grow my firm to where it should be from. And I'm not competing against anyone else. It's just me competing against myself. And so I think that's one of the things that I stay in my own lane based on Latresa's capabilities and what Latresa's interested in and passionate about. And how can I be a blessing to bless others as well as myself? I actually pray that for every day that that will allow me to be a conduit to bless others as well as myself. speaker-1: That's awesome. I have that same prayer. It's how can I bless others? And that's part of the reason for this platform is to be able to give people their flowers and also give hope to those who are either in the industry, may have considered the industry, and want to go ahead and persevere and keep going. What I assume during your time, 20 years, there has been times where you may have questioned if this is for you or maybe you've considered, I want to quit. I want to stop. Have you ever had one of those moments and what made you keep going? speaker-0: That's a really funny question because when I first started I really was still sending out job applications on a regular basis. I could never get a job. So just to sort of take a step back, when I started this firm, I started the firm because I was on unemployment. I worked for a law firm for like a year and a half. One of the largest environmental types of torts cases that I studied when I was in grad school and law school. And that's what brought me to Alabama from Chapel Hill. So my passion is why I ended up in Birmingham following something I believed in. When that job ended, I wanted to stay in Birmingham at that point in time. I really didn't have any money to move back to North Carolina. And so I said, well, what can I do in order to survive? And so I made a brochure ⁓ based on services I had learned at my graduate school background, as well as work experience that I obtained while I was in school. I really want to encourage students to do as many internships as you can to be able to be prepared for your future because you never know if you're going to start a company at an early age. I started my company at 28, 29, something like that. And so, you know, I went from being a person who was around the board table but never leading the board table. And so if I hadn't had those good internship experiences, I wouldn't have been able to know how to do projects, how to carry myself, and be able to go meet other executives and presidents of companies. So I think that's really important for people to learn early on. speaker-1: Awesome. So then you have your general contracting license in multiple states, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi. How do you stretch and operate a business in so many states and how do you sustain that? speaker-0: It's based on relationships. And so I basically, you know, look at different projects that I want to work on, but I don't work alone. I don't have, you know, projects going on all those days at one time. So, you know, our growth has been organic. It's something that I wanted to be able to use as a marketing tool as well, to be able to partner with the same people in different places. So that was the reason why I did that. So the logic is if I'm working with you in Alabama, why can't I work with you? in Tennessee, you know, or if I wanted to work on a project myself in Tennessee, I could, it's just a way of me being able to have my own path. When I first started in the contracting business, I was a sub to a sub to a sub. You would have never known I was on the team, right? And so when I finally got my name on the fence with my logo, it was a huge accomplishment, mainly because I remember no one even knowing that I was on the team. And so now I'm entering a joint venture with a construction firm on one of the largest projects going on in our city. It's a proud moment. I've done joint ventures in the past, but it's something to continue to do joint ventures. It's something that is really special about that. I didn't want to just have a one-off. I wanted to be able to continue that trajectory and continue for people to look at me as a good team partner. So yeah. speaker-1: Awesome, awesome. So you've also participated in multiple programs to, I guess, enhance your business. Can you talk about some of those programs that other businesses or contracts could get into and look at to be competitive? speaker-0: I participated in programs within three states. participated in Georgia Mentor Protégé Program. I've participated in the City of Atlanta Watershed and Airport Program. I participated in the Nashville, Tennessee Minority Contractors Program. I've participated in Birmingham's SBA Emerging Leaders Scale Up as well with the Birmingham Business Alliance. ⁓ Coca-Cola's executive program for small businesses. So the list goes on and on. Even Microsoft had a small business program. So I've never been afraid to go through these different cohorts because in each cohort it made me better and it allowed me to have access to more information. And so I want to underline the word access because it's really, really important when you're a small business and you have not worked for large corporations. How do you learn what corporations look for or how they do business? And so I really feel like I have a small business MBA. Even though I don't have an official MBA degree, a lot of the classes and things we've been exposed to are MBA related, HR related. And that's the thing with being a small business owner, you have to know a little about a lot, right? But I say hiring other professionals who are consultants that can be on your team is the way to go. Because it's no way possible that you can know how to do. everything. And so as you continue to scale, continue to reinvest money back into professionals who are better than you. speaker-1: Awesome, awesome. And you also have multiple certifications, set-asides, ⁓ which is awesome, because they are not easy to get. I come from the DMV area where government contracts is like king, and these set-asides allow you to get in. Tell me about, you know, going through the process of getting these set-asides, and does it actually make a huge difference on the opportunities that you were able to get? speaker-0: Yeah. I would say that it helps you get in the door, but you are what helps you stay in the door. I wouldn't want people to get frustrated or discouraged because just because you have those certifications, it doesn't mean anyone's gonna be chasing you down. You mentioned the licenses I have professionally, even the certifications I have to do the work that I do. Those are things that no one is just gonna do business with you just because you have that, right? That's just to validate your credibility. What you bring to the table with the work product is what really, really matters. So I like to encourage people, don't depend on small business certifications. ⁓ I think that what you have to do is make sure that you can compete toe to toe to anybody. You try to strive to be the best in the business every day. speaker-1: So I know a lot of contractors focus on more of the concrete or the, guess, building the foundational side. Why is your work so important when it comes to the process of building and construction? speaker-0: Well, you know, it all starts with the land, if you think about it. I try to encourage clients to contact me early on. I also try to give advice about, you know, how to look at focusing and nearing their project down so their costs will be more affordable, if you will. And so a lot of people, they come to me with, oh, here's an address or here's the track of land. I'm like, exactly where do you think you want to build on this piece of land? Because, you know, the wider the scope, the more it costs. So let's like think about this and narrow down the study area. Well, let's do your due diligence phase one assessment to even determine if we purchase this property. Is this property ⁓ polluted? Does it have some risks? So that you'll be aware of what you're buying. So if you wanna negotiate with a seller, you can, but once you buy it, it's basically yours. So I would encourage people to come to me early on for due diligence work. as well as even some of your geotechnical work, if it's a fairly large project doing a preliminary study to see, you know, is the soil conducive for building on it, and if not, how much of the soil is going to be removed. And sometimes that makes and breaks projects if that's not in your budget. speaker-1: I love that we're talking about due diligence. What are some of the risks that developers face by underestimating this process or wanting to skip the due diligence to save costs? speaker-0: us. That is a great mistake. I've had some clients come to me and say, can we do one boring latrice? And I'm like, I would not recommend doing one boring. A boring is a drill rig drilling into the soil or maybe even through rock, until it hits rock at least, to determine the different levels of how far can the drill rig speaker-1: What is that? speaker-0: through and then getting samples, we call core samples, in order to test to see the conditions of the suitability of the soil. To see, you know, is this soil red-placed soil? And so you don't really want to build on red-placed soil, so we have to make a recommendation about how much needs to be removed. So, you know, oftentimes topography is different on a parcel. It may be healing. So for me to do one boring, how would you know about the other types of soil that are present? or the rock that need to present. So I always tell clients, if you're gonna do a project, you really wanna make sure that you have contingency money, you have over and beyond what the architect is estimating for the construction costs of building the building. There's also construction costs for prepping the land on the civil side and the geotechnical side that you have to consider as well. speaker-1: So as you scale your business, what type of systems are you using internally to be able to serve larger clients? speaker-0: So, you know, one of the things I had to address is understanding employees come and go. And so when you asked me about the different certifications that I hold, I hold those certifications because I will always know the business that I'm selling, right? And so I took the time and effort, which took longer time to build my company by, I say building the Stronger Foundation, but it really doesn't matter who comes and goes, Slade can sustain, still do the work. I think that it's really important for when people are building businesses, that they develop SOPs, standard operating procedures. So that way when you're even doing your training for people that you're bringing in, you may be working so hard and not really have time to train people. Well, how do you train people faster and be able to do the same quality? ⁓ My goal in my company is to be like Chick-fil-A. When you go to Chick-fil-A, you know exactly how the food is going to taste if you get chicken sandwich and waffle fries and lemonade. You know exactly what you're going to get. The service is the same. They're very friendly and it's polite. It's my pleasure. I want my employees to able to perform the same way when they go on a construction site. It doesn't matter if the person's been with me six months or they've been with me 15 years. I want to make sure we provide the same level of service to our client. And so that's what I think is really important for businesses to learn is how do you replicate providing quality service over and over again so that your clients will keep coming back to you over and over again. speaker-1: So part of your mission is to eradicate poverty and uplift families. Talk to me about that and the heart behind where that comes from. speaker-0: Well, you know, when I first started my business, I was just trying to survive myself. I really was on unemployment. And my mom encouraged me, even once I started, you know, doing this, like, are you still looking for a job? You're going to get a job? Because I was making really good money before I went to law school. And she was like, you have four degrees. What are you doing? You know, it's very humbling to be in that position. So decided to teach as an adjunct professor. My mom was a teacher. It made sense. So with knowing that I had to continue to grow my business, I knew that I needed to be able to stabilize. I think one of the things now that grounds me is being able to know that I have a purpose for why I'm doing what I'm doing is to help others with their families to be able to send their kids to college and to be able to their families. I had one employee that I asked to go to a business development meeting for me because I had other meetings I had to attend to be divided and conquer. So we have company shirts that are collar dress shirts and people wear polo pants and look very professional. And he came back and told me, know, Latrice, I was voted the most least likely to succeed. And, you know, I really never looked at him that way because here at my company, the sky's the limit. You know, as high as you want to go, if you get these certifications, you can really, really make very good money and provide for your family. You don't have to have a college degree. And so that was my beginning of why. We've also hired people who needed a second chance to just be able to get back on their feet after serving time in prison and just warning them to be able to not feel like their life is over because they made one mistake. What I learned is not just the training of how to do the skill is also business etiquette, social etiquette, expectations. You some people have been raised in families where there were no men in the household. And so the expectation of them, you know, being on time and arriving, looking a certain kind of way. Those are the kind of things that are nurturing. ⁓ And it's made an impact on me, even, you know, with them coming. If they don't work for the company anymore, they've come back and, you know, thanked me for the opportunity to help them grow professionally. And so that's real impact. doesn't matter to me if I have a hundred people that I've hired, you know, at a time versus if it's 10, it's the consistency of people staying with my company is the consistency of them feeling like they are evolving and being fulfilled as well. speaker-1: That's actually really powerful. had another guest who actually has a program out in the DMV where she door knocks ⁓ to get people from the community to help rebuild, give them a trade and rebuild the community. So that's really awesome. Cause I've always stated that if you give them a trade, give people a trade in impoverished areas and help them to rebuild their community, they will sustain the community. So I think it's really powerful that you are giving opportunity to other people who may have come from either an impoverished background or need a second chance and seeing and giving them hope that they can keep going. So that is really powerful. speaker-0: say that we build more than buildings, we build people. And so that's my tagline on my website. And, you know, when I came to that realization that that was really what I was doing, it gave me even more drive to want to continue to stick with my business. I think you asked, you know, what causes you to continue to stay in business for 20 years or want to do it even more than 20 years? That that's really the why. It had to be a bigger purpose than me because otherwise this would be too stressful. to be honest with you, to continue. And what's easier just to get a job, especially now since I have a three-year-old that is demanding a lot of my time. speaker-1: And about the babies, I know that you have started a foundation of sorts to help inspire children to get into the industry. Can you talk a little bit more about that? speaker-0: So this is something that has evolved, I guess, over the last two years. And it's a big seat. You know, I've never had a nonprofit, and nonprofits are not the same. What I've found out is that it's more challenging when you're trying to do something to help more people than it is to have a company. ⁓ I don't expect that, but that is what I've experienced. And so just trying to get more community partners to come in and help has been something that I've had to basically use my marketing hit in a different kind of way. It has not been a fast process. It's been a slow process, but I know that people who will be helped are underserved youth. And that's something that, you know, I'm from a very rural area. I wouldn't say that I was underserved as far as financially. I'm probably middle-class family. But I'm just sort of coming from an area that didn't have a lot of access to information like large dimensional problems in the areas for education purposes. And so I know how that feels. I'm going to compete in a place like UNC where some of the best of the best go there. I know how I could have been prepared so much more if I would have had access to more information. So I don't want students not knowing what they can become. know, oftentimes we hear about becoming a lawyer or a doctor. became, you know, got my law degree, but I never had I heard about geotechnical engineering or construction testing or environmental engineering with the kind of things that I do. And so there's a big world out there. And so I want to make sure that students are exposed to it and they know that they can have a passion or interest. I had an interest in environmental ever since I was probably four or five years old, wondering where the trash went after it left our house because it had to be taken to a roll off and not the trash being come to pick it up. So, you know, those kind of things can start at a very young age. You never know who people will become, but if they don't have access to be able to drink, they won't know what they could become. speaker-1: Awesome. So for a company that's considering to partner with you on this initiative, what could they expect to be, the outcome for the children that they are looking to impact? What does that program look like? speaker-0: Well, we have developed a curriculum, but we're also partnering with Birmingham City Schools. And so I am so, so, so, so, so grateful for that opportunity. It's something that through diligence and continued to show up and express my heart that we've been able to form that relationship. We've had donors such as Regents Bank to donate to our cause. And we're trying to get other corporations to donate. ⁓ I want people to understand this about partnership and there's nothing that's too small or too big to bring to the table. We want people to volunteer as well. If they have a passion or a skill, they want to be able to show or demonstrate to the kids. If they'd like to sponsor a kid for a youth camp program to pay for their camp, you know, that would be awesome because there's kids who can't afford to send them to summer camp, you know. How do we do that? Through partnerships. So we appreciate anything that people can help with. We have a website, slayfoundation.org. You can donate there. It's a 501-C3, so you can donate there if you would like to donate. ⁓ speaker-1: Awesome. And I know you have 20 years in the industry of building this business. What do you see your lasting legacy being? And what do you want, if somebody from 20 years from now thinks of Lutheran Slade, what do you want them? speaker-0: thing. You know, for me, the next 20 years is about legacy building. You know, I've gotten to this point and I'm nowhere where I thought I would be with the level of effort that I want people to know that it is a slow grind. It's not a fast grind. And oftentimes when I am, you know, really, really grinding, God says opportunities like talking to people like yourself to remind me, well, why are you doing this and who are you? And so that really is encouraging. to me, so I want to thank you for the opportunity to be able to share my story so that hopefully it will ignite other people to realize that it's not glitz and glamour, but it's about being able to have that stick-to-itiveness and that determination, that perseverance that will make the difference. And if you can help other people along the way, then I want to make sure that people realize that my company is more than just a construction or engineering firm. It's a firm that gave back to the next generation and looked who they could help. And so I just feel like that's... The calling of my life is being able to help as many people as I can. Hope that I can be a conduit that other people will trust what I've built so far to allow me to continue to do bigger and better things. that's teaming on more projects or if that's donating to the foundation. I feel like the sky's the limit. speaker-1: Awesome. would typically ask right now, what is your ask? But I know we have the foundation. How do people look to actually use you for business and get in touch with you to, I'm not going say support your business because. speaker-0: Yeah, we need support. Yeah, definitely. speaker-1: Well, and because when I think support is like you, I guess like a donation to your business. No, you are, you have quality business, a quality product, and people need to know that you are available for partnership and to work with them and to provide a service. speaker-0: Well, you we have a 800 numbers, 866-925-5742. You can also email me at Lslaid, that's S-L-A-D-E at slaidllc.com. You know, but we are right now, we're looking for grant opportunities for renovating a building, you know, so I'm doing my own construction project right now. We're looking for donations for helping these kids have impact for summer camp, you know, so. There are so many ways that you can, I got some calls from people that I've done business with when they were working for the government. Now they are doing their own project and they're calling me for help on their personal development projects. Kudos to them, but I'm glad they remembered me and they enjoyed working with me and they felt that I was trustworthy to work on something with them outside of their nine to five, that they want me to be a part of their personal team. So that speaks volumes, you know? So just bringing my name up, you never can have it. too many advocates, you know, if you look up Slade and Birmingham, will definitely come up, I'm very easy to find. say the world has my phone number, literally. So if there's anything I can do to serve, I enjoy speaking as well. That's one of my passions and that's something over the last 10 years I've been doing more and more and more. And so that is something that's meaningful to reach others on a larger scale. I think the next thing I might do is write a book. So that's on the horizon. But I gotta get in this building and get this foundation rocking and rolling a little bit strong before I do that. speaker-1: I love that. And please state the states that you're currently doing business in. speaker-0: ⁓ wow. So right now we're doing business in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. But in the past, we have done business as far out as Seattle, Washington, Concord, California, Brooklyn, New York, Radford, Virginia, Baltimore, Maryland, ⁓ Dallas, Texas, just to name a few. So we go where the work is. So I don't want people to feel like we're prohibited or limited. We have worked in five airports from Texas to Nashville, to Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama and Huntsville, Alabama. And we're trying to get to some other airports. So we work for municipalities. So consider us on your future. We really appreciate that. speaker-1: I also also love Latrice. Thank you so much for your time. speaker-0: Thanks, pleasure.