Currying Favor in Atlanta
Family Pulls Together Individual Strengths to Pave Success at Curry Contracting Services
The real strength of Curry Contracting Services is built on the distinct skills and talents of the Curry family—mom with 30 years in information technology, dad with 35 years in the paving industry and son with a passion for innovation. The firm is certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).
The three Currys—Carole, Bruce and William—lead the Peachtree City, Georgia-based company, which has enjoyed strong growth since its founding in 2011. Curry Contracting provides asphalt paving, repair and seal coating as well as parking lot striping and signage.
“All of our combined experience gives us more of an edge,” says William, the youngest Curry and manager of the company. “My father, Bruce, who has more than 30 years of paving experience, is in the field about 90 percent of the time. My mom, Carole, who has a background in the corporate world, is in the office about 90 percent of the time.” And William has a cross-functional role, serving in both the field and the office, with a focus on sales.
Quick Yet Controlled Growth
For the first few years of operation, Carole and Bruce worked the business on the side. When Carole retired from her corporate IT career in 2016, she threw herself into the family business full time. She is owner of Curry Contracting, with a focused goal of controlled growth.
“Growth is important,” she says, “but you don’t want to grow too quickly. That can be as damaging as not growing at all.”
She relies on her IT and marketing background, as well as counsel from Bruce and William and outside help from the U.S. Small Business Administration, a private business consultant and a strong working relationship with the company’s bank. The company is expected to exceed more than $3 million in sales this year.
Already, the company has transitioned from renting its equipment to investing in quality equipment. The firm also boasts a diverse client base. “Warehouses, schools, medical offices, shopping centers, subdivision development, residential and homeowners’ association projects—we have a healthy mix of customers,” Carole says.
Strength of Atlanta
The company’s home base is a key to its success. The Atlanta area is the nation’s third fastest-growing metro area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with an additional 89,103 residents moving in between 2016 and 2017. Booming construction in Atlanta, specifically in commercial and industrial development, has helped to fuel the success of Curry Contracting. The company’s first client, Peachy Airport Parking, is an excellent example of this progress. Curry Contracting started work for Peachy Airport Parking in 2011, preparing their parking lots for opening the facility. The two companies have grown together and have maintained a strong relationship. “Peachy Airport Parking is still one of our customers today,” Carole says. “As they expand, they call us because we do such a great job.”
Recent significant projects include Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology for the DeKalb County School District; Camden Manor, a D.R. Horton subdivision in South Atlanta; and Vanguard Truck Center in Forest Park.
Creating Efficiencies
The Currys also point to innovative practices that have helped them to gain and keep clients. “The construction industry doesn’t take advantage of technology the same way corporate America does,” Carole says.
William, who worked side jobs in the paving business during high school and college to make spending money, eventually landed in Florida, where he worked for two large paving contractors. He worked his way up to general manager at the second company and then returned to Georgia to help his family.
“I brought with me new processes and new procedures based on what I had seen, learned and experienced in South Florida,” William says. “They weren’t operating with the 1980s and 1990s business models. I learned that you can pave the same way, but there are ways to be more efficient.” William was able to build upon his father’s deep knowledge of the paving industry and introduce efficiencies and improvements from his outside experiences.
For example, Carole implemented software that helps with timekeeping, bids, sales, job tracking and project management, creating lower overhead and savings that can be passed on to customers.
There are also natural efficiencies that come from a tight-knit staff working together for years. “The longevity of time working together is a tremendous value. Bruce has developed strong relationships with the employees from his previous job, for more than 30 years, working with many of the same employees,” Carole says. “It is such a close-knit group. We’ve watched all of our children grow up over the years.”
Meeting Challenges
The company’s progress has not come without some challenges. It is facing an issue many small businesses face: growing while keeping a small staff until contracts warrant more employees. The operation runs lean, but agile scheduling and an eye for quality keeps the business moving.
Carole is an anomaly in the industry—the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that about 9 percent of the construction workforce is female—but she’s no stranger to being the only woman in the room.
“There were not many women in the IT industry when I started,” she says, reflecting on her first career. But Carole comes from a long line of strong women and entrepreneurs, and she’s never been afraid to tackle challenges.
“From a young age, I learned the value of hard work, financial planning, customer service and the sacrifices that self-employment requires,” Carole says. Her grandmother built a successful business in the 1930s, with six children to raise on her own. Carole grew up in the retail business, working with her mom from age 10. “My family history has taught me to figure out how to be successful, work around obstacles and make the best of difficult situations.”
She applies that same focus to her work in the paving industry. “People are always surprised that I’m in the paving business,” she says, “but I bring a corporate professionalism to the business.”
The company’s recent certification as a WOSB and a DBE will open doors for more municipal contracts. As that work comes in, the staff will need to grow, she says. She’s looking to the future with a college internship program, both to train the next generation and to learn from them. She’s already proven she’s open to lessons from all ages, learning from Bruce’s longtime field experience and from William’s youthful, yet grounded vision. And she’s ready to build on those lessons to reach more clients and grow her family’s business.
“We are a really strong team,” she adds.