This is the first Christmas that my Mother will not be in our life. This has caused me to reflect on my life, family and career as a contractor.
I attended Bryant College for a few years but dropped out as I did not want to be an accountant, though the lessons that I absorbed have helped me over the years. My career in construction happened soon after, when my Dad got me a job with a local contractor. I worked for Peter for about six years in the field. In 1986 I got married and started my first construction company. I have built hundreds of homes, miles of roads and remodeled and insulated thousands of homes. And still do, to this day and into the future.
My Wife, JoJo and I have raised three children, Jon, Julie and Lauren, each talented, outgoing and all have thrived in their lives. While none of them live in Rhode Island anymore, we are still close and cherish the times that we do get to share together. Our first Grandchild, Eleanora, is loved and we adore seeing her grow. Thank you for video calls!!
JoJo and I have built three new homes together and traveled the world including Asia, Europe and South America. We have a great life!
Contracting and building is a challenge. Sometimes, I can have a “woe is me” attitude, but I had lunch with one of my suppliers recently and I am not alone. The issues that we talked about are common to the industry. Supervising hundreds of people from homeowners to employees to trades to suppliers to city inspectors is a daily challenge. Obtaining permits and inspections, ordering and receiving materials on time, even getting people to show up and do what they need to do, not even counting what havoc the weather can cause.
Over the years, we have had some problems. Credit union and banks shutting down and having to use alternative sources of financing and having money tied up for years was challenging. Then Covid disturbed the whole flow of people’s lives and disrupted the supply chain causing price increases that did not go down. They are now part of our new paradigm the last 4 years. I have made many mistakes over the years – some due to inexperience, some due to not making the right decision, some by not having the full information to decide timely – it has been a trial at times to muddle through, but we are still here. And the costly lessons are the ones that you really remember.
That all being said, I still like what I do. Meeting with a new client for the first time and having a conversation about fixing their problem and figuring out the solution is still fun! Helping people has always been my passion and I plan on being around for a long time to come. The challenges the Construction Industry are facing will pass, and here at Calyx, we will be working toward facing those challenges together!
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