Page 26 - BusinessWest December 26, 2022

part, she believes, because she was still working in corrections at the time and thus — to those reviewing her application, at least — she was not fully committed to her business venture.
After waiting a year — and after leaving the Sheriff’s Department in 2012 and making City Enterprise a full-time pursuit — she applied again, and this time was granted 8A status. And during that year, she was making connections and building relationships with agencies ranging from the General Services Administration to the Army Corps of Engineers to the U.S. Navy.
“I was letting these people
know that I was coming — I
was developing relationships
even before I was admitted into the program. Because I knew
the 8A was more government- contract-driven, I sought out those agencies.”
“I was letting these people know that I was coming — I was developing relationships even before I was admitted into the program,” she said. “Because I knew the 8A was more government- contract-driven, I sought out those agencies.
“I was confident because I made the necessary
sacrifices to make that happen,” she said. “I knew there were things I had to do to get past that first rejection, and I did them. I took full advantage of that year.”
The 8A designation certainly opened some doors, as noted earlier, especially at government- owned and operated facilities, such as Westover Air Reserve Base, where she earned first commer- cial contract — renovation work in the bowling alley on the base.
This was another important learning experi- ence, she said, adding that she initially hired the wrong type of flooring company to work on the
City Enterprise has tackled
a number of assignments involving government agencies, including work to restore the porch at the commanding officer’s quarters at the Springfield Armory.
bowling lanes, but later secured the right subcon- tractor, a company in Ohio, and finished the proj- ect in good order.
“It was a very difficult entry into the com- mercial space, but we got through it, and it was a great learning experience,” she said, adding that the company would go on to secure projects with a number of government entities in the ensuing years.
Drafting a Plan
That list includes the city of Springfield, which
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