Meet Trailblazer Sakara Ross

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sakara Ross.

Initially, the firm was created in memory of my late grandfather Finley Ross, who was a carpenter in Mt. Enterprise TX during the 1940s. Living in Houston, I recognized there was a great opportunity for my family in the construction industry. I decided to partner with my father considering the previous knowledge and experience he obtained from working with his father. The plan was for me to be in charge of the day to day operations of the office and my father would be in charge of fieldwork and managing our crews. Less than a month after the company was established, my father passed away leaving me as the sole shareholder. I am now committed to honoring my late father and grandfather by continuing the company’s operations and making SNR Constructions a household name.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an African American woman navigating a male-dominated and predominantly caucasian industry, I’d have to say it has not been completely smooth. From my experience, people want to do business with those they know and trust. Being a new company I’ve had to work extremely hard to build relationships with contractors in order to receive the work that I have completed. One helpful resource has been the City of Houston Office of business opportunity. I would encourage any woman who is looking to get in the construction industry to get their company certified with the office of business opportunity. I have my SBE and MWBE certification and this allows my company to get more exposure in terms of city contracts. When the city issues these contracts to lagers contractors, they are required to meet a certain percentage of minority participation. In turn, these contractors have been given my information from the city and they consider including my company on these contracts.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about SNR Construction & Consulting – what should we know?
In the last two years of operations, my company has expanded from interior/exterior commercial painting to concrete work and public infrastructure. I now have crews that pour concrete and I personally do inspections for underground utility projects. As a brand, I am most proud of the public infrastructure work that I do. Currently, I’m working on an infrastructure project in Historic Fourth Ward. The Fourth Ward is the site of Freedmen’s Town, which was a post- U.S. Civil war community for African Americans. The settlers of Freedmen’s Town paved the streets with bricks that they hand-made themselves. Being an African American woman, I’m extremely honored to be a part of ensuring that this rich history is improved and preserved in our community. Currently, there are no black-owned/woman-owned businesses in Houston providing the services we provide. I pride myself on taking the paths least traveled with hopes of inspiring others to do the same. I believe my work ethic and work quality sets me apart from other companies. We will not turn a project over to a client until it is 100% complete.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Growing up, I was a major tomboy. I consider myself to have been a pretty tough girl, which was apparent by my choice to play tackle football with the boys in my neighborhood. I can also assure you they made no concessions for me being a girl (lol). I think those experiences alone equipped me to have the mental toughness needed to navigate a male-dominated industry. Another experience that played a role in setting me up for success would be the adult figures in my life. I can’t express enough the importance of setting a good example for your children. 90% of the time children become exactly what they see.  Both of my parents were hard workers and my father was an entrepreneur. It’s likely that I would never have believed that I could run and own a company had my father not given me that inspiration. Watching him overcome the challenges of entrepreneurship has played a major role in how I conduct my business today. My ability to endure and overcome have been key to the success of my company.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2368A Rice Blvd. #466
  Houston, TX 77005
• Website: www.snrcnc.org
• Phone: 2819176678
• Email: sross@snrcnc.org
• Instagram: Snrconstruction

Image Credit:
Nijalon Duboi

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