The Power of Partnering (POP) is a half-day event where women entrepreneurs, business leaders, corporations and procurement professionals come together to train, network and create matchmaker opportunities to help create and reach procurement and business goals.
Each agenda includes educational resources from thought leadership and subject matter experts and the opportunity to showcase your capabilities statements in a meet the buyer setting or matchmaker sessions.
In 2016, Chondra Webster Myers opened the doors to WEBMyers Construction. Chondra has been certified by numerous organizations such as the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, City of Atlanta African-American Business Enterprise, and many more (listed below).
Recently, WEBMyers Construction has been recognized as the largest minority-owned, woman-owned Interior general contracting company in Georgia.
Chondra’s value system is clear, and WEBMyers Construction operations are fueled by three indelible tenets: delivering the highest quality results; in the most cost-efficient way possible; while supporting minority-owned subcontractors with a minimum revenue spend of 20% and a goal revenue spend of 30% or more for every project.
Chondra personally values integrity and inclusiveness, and the mom in her makes sure every single person connected to her is nurtured and supported. She is on a mission to do things differently and to create a new normal in her industry, all while maintaining a serious work ethic and doing every single thing joyfully.
Today, Chondra is happily married and lives with her husband and their combined family of five children. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, bowling, and tennis.
Connect with Chondra on LinkedIn.
This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.
TRANSCRIPT
Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open For Business. Now, here’s your host.
Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here broadcasting live from GWBC Power of Partnering event at the Georgia Power Headquarters. I am so excited to be talking to my guest, Chondra Myers with WEBMyers Construction. Welcome.
Chondra Webster Myers: Hello. Thanks for the invitation.
Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn about WEBMyers Construction. Tell us a little bit about it.
Chondra Webster Myers: Well, we are a nine-year-old interior general contractor. We are actually the largest MWBE interior general contractor in the state of Georgia.
Lee Kantor: And what does that mean?
Chondra Webster Myers: That means we renovate the inside of a building. We don’t come out of the ground. We had the capacity to do it, but we stay on the interior side.
Lee Kantor: And is it primarily commercial or is it residential?
Chondra Webster Myers: It’s all commercial. And we do a lot of hospitals as well, pharmacies, and federal work.
Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in the construction industry?
Chondra Webster Myers: I started in this industry I want to say 30-something plus years ago, and I started in commercial furniture sales, and then I went to movable walls in a low profile floor that held the data and electrical. And I was talking to contractors at that point. And the more and more I talked to contractors, the more I was attracted to what they were doing. And so nine years ago, I started a construction company.
Lee Kantor: Now, have you ever been involved in the the actual construction, or are you managing a firm of people who go out and do the actual construction?
Chondra Webster Myers: We actually hire the subs. I haven’t done a lot of joint ventures where I’m augmenting staff. We actually compete for work. And then we use our subs. Our internal goal is to spend at least 30% with women in minority companies to do the work.
Lee Kantor: Are you finding more and more women in minorities getting involved in this line of work?
Chondra Webster Myers: Absolutely.
Lee Kantor: Has it changed over the years?
Chondra Webster Myers: Absolutely.
Lee Kantor: What are some of the big changes you’re seeing?
Chondra Webster Myers: I’m seeing more diversity that’s coming in, not only from the general construction standpoint, but even through the subs. And so I actually found that I needed someone on my team that spoke Spanish.
Chondra Webster Myers: There was a young girl that was working with her father on one of our jobs, and she approached me because she wanted to, you know, have her own destiny in her own hands. And so she’s a good superintendent. She likes being in the field.
Lee Kantor: So now, why was it important for you to get involved with GWBC?
Chondra Webster Myers: Well, there aren’t a lot of women that look like me that’s in this space, which is why I’m the largest.
Lee Kantor: Well, it could be because you’re talented and do good work. I’m sure that has to do with it.
Chondra Webster Myers: A lot. A lot because we have grown a lot. We work with various hospitals and corporations throughout Georgia. And we’re – occasionally, for some other customers we’ll travel.
Lee Kantor: Now, why is hospitals kind of a niche for you? How did that come about?
Chondra Webster Myers: Well, when I first started my business, my first customer was Grady Hospital. And we were in Grady Hospital every day for seven years. They had a management change. It didn’t feel comfortable for me, and so I left. I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do, but my spirit just said, you got to get out of here. And so I left. And before I knew it, I had a phone call from Georgia Power. They had a small project they wanted me to look at and and it grew into an entire two floors.
Lee Kantor: Is that how it typically works? They come on for kind of one project, and then they see how good you are, and it kind of creeps and expands.
Chondra Webster Myers: I do not blame them for doing that because they didn’t know me or my work. Well, some of them knew me. That’s how they found me and said, “Hey, we know she’s out here, but we really haven’t worked with her.” And so they gave me a small job to see how we did, and we did good. And then they gave me a next section and we did good. And so then they were like, “Well, this is what’s going to happen.” And so we ended up doing this entire first floor and the second floor.
Lee Kantor: So now that’s great advice for other entrepreneurs out there. Don’t kind of avoid these smaller projects because that gets your foot in the door.
Chondra Webster Myers: Absolutely.
Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, what’s the website? What’s the best way to connect?
Chondra Webster Myers: The best way to connect is on – I’m on LinkedIn, so that’s a really good way to connect to me. I’m on no other social media. I’m on Facebook and that’s rare, and I’m just trying to see what my family’s doing. So don’t do that. I don’t do Instagram or any of that other stuff. So, you know, just go on the website and then there is – info at webmyersconstruction.com is out there as well.
Lee Kantor: And the website is?
Chondra Webster Myers: www.webmyersconstruction.com.
Lee Kantor: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.
Chondra Webster Myers: All right. Thank you so much.
Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor, back in a few at GWBC Power of Partnering.
