Today we’d like to introduce you to Juana Searcy.
Hi Juana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I was a Business Development Executive in a Fortune 200 company twelve years ago. I worked there for 20 years, and although I never acquired a college degree, I entered the corporate world when experience counted as much as education. I seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, and my career and compensation continued to grow. My elderly parents could no longer live alone, and my father had a terminal illness, so my wife and I moved them both to live with our 8-year-old son and us. My father passed within 2 years, and shortly after, my mother was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia. Her condition deteriorated faster than expected, and I had to quit my job of twenty years to stay home and care for her around the clock. When she passed ten years ago, I had to figure out what I wanted to do next. I cringed at the thought of returning to the corporate world – the politics, the bureaucracy, the patriarchy, and, sadly, the ever-present glass ceiling. I decided to try my hand at starting a small company. Leaning on everything I had learned growing up with my father and brothers – all involved in different construction aspects – I started Plumb Projects, offering small handiwork jobs to my surrounding community in Dripping Springs. While I was scrambling to set up an LLC and all the various pieces of creating a small company, the phones began ringing. They began to ring a lot. I would do small handiwork items for clients who would soon call back and ask me to do larger projects. They then started asking me to do remodeling work for them.
So, I began marketing my tiny company of one person as ‘Plumb Projects – Turn-key Residential Remodeling.’ As the phone continued to ring, I hired an incredible guy as a foreman and an old friend as administrative support and accounting. Initially, I met with many subcontractors to discuss having them bid on my jobs. All of them were men, and many could barely contain (or didn’t contain) their outrage at a woman general contractor. I’m not going to lie – it was tough in the beginning. Tough. However, what those guys didn’t know (but my parents and wife certainly did) was that I am incredibly hard-headed and resilient. I didn’t give up and eventually found a good group of talented and open-minded subcontractors to send my business to. Two are interior designer Becky Garrett of Allure Interior Design and Chris Clifton of Okkem Design for engineering and architectural planning.
Plumb Projects is celebrating its tenth year of business, and we are still growing. We have an Operations and Project Management Director, eight full-time employees, and three crews, and we are hiring another crew. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such great talent. Almost all of our business is by referral, and thankfully, the phones keep ringing. My Director of Operations, Moira Zinn, is a friend, a great soul, and a force to be reckoned with – she has begun overseeing most of the day-to-day business functions. I stepped out of doing the hands-on work at job sites a few years back, and now I focus solely on handling bids with clients while checking in on jobs to ensure that we still maintain the high level of customer satisfaction that has gotten us to where we are today.
When I started this business, seeing a woman in construction (at all) was rare, and there were indeed none in our town. Now I am pleased that women are starting to appear as crew members and even subcontractors. The world is ever-changing. As for my career path, it is safe to say that I have already found it.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has just recently been a smooth road. It was me running every position for the first few years. Then I gradually started bringing in people to take on some of the work – accounting, account receivables, project management (we provide our customers with a copy of the project plan that we use to manage the job and coordinate with clients daily throughout), operations, administration, scheduling, crew foreman, et al.
Initially, most subcontractors & licensed trades were aghast and openly outraged that a woman was a general contractor. I had to work twice as hard as others to prove myself in my role and gain their respect, and I still often do. Eventually, I made headway and have vetted a great group of contractors and tradespeople that we send our business to – and we have grown to the point that we are easily 80 – 90% of their overall business. Similarly, sometimes when I meet with clients that are men, some initially question whether or not I know what I am doing. However, this hesitation generally goes away quickly after we have discussed their project.
In our community of Dripping Springs, we face the challenge of needing more affordable housing and a general cost of living that requires us to pull our workforce from farther away, which translates to higher client labor costs. Austin has the same challenge, and we foresee this staying.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Plumb Projects?
We are a turn-key residential remodeling company based in and serves Dripping Springs, TX, and the greater Austin area. We specialize in entire home/kitchen/bathroom remodels or ‘gut & redos,’ ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units), small homes, home additions/add-ons, and general home construction. We partner with interior designers and engineering & architectural firms to create a truly turn-key experience. Our goal is to provide our clients with an initial proposal that encompasses everything they will need, from demo through to a budgetary placeholder for each of their finish materials (plumbing fixtures, towel racks, et al.) – the intention is to provide ‘one-stop shopping’ and an all-in price for their project without any later surprises.
Our company is female-owned and operated. Juana Searcy, a 54-year-old lesbian who is a Texas native, is our Founder. Her current focus is Business Development and Sales. Our Director of Operations, Moira Zinn, is also a woman. She oversees Marketing and coordinates with our Foreman on Project Management. Unlike many general contractors, we strive to be organized, exceptional communicators, honest, tidy, follow through, keep our commitments, and respect our clients’ time and homes.
Brand-wise, we are incredibly proud of the following:
– All of the repeat business from our clients (sometimes even 3rd and 4th projects).
– People trusting us with their homes.
– The quality of the finished product.
– The ongoing relationships we have built with so many of our customers.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
One of the opportunities this company has afforded me is a chance to do charity work for our community (especially seniors and those with mobility issues and limited budgets) and sponsor local non-profits and student endeavors (band, theater, et al.).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.plumbprojects.com
- Instagram: plumb.projects
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/plumbprojects
- Other: tiktok: plumb.projects
Image Credits
Jason Flenniken Photography
