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Ceaira Scott and Terri Jefferson put their administrative expertise to work in establishing their own company, Tri-Fold Cord Construction, in 2016. Scott previously worked at Oregon Health & Science University as an administrative assistant and Jefferson was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps before they both began working for their church.

Their projects are primarily concrete flatwork, including concrete footings, patios, basement flooring and stairs. They plan to expand their services in the future. 鈥淲hat we enjoy most is seeing the difference from where you began to the end, the finished product. It鈥檚 transformation right before your eyes. It鈥檚 awesome!鈥� Scott said.

Though many people cautioned that being Black female owners of a trades business would be challenging, Scott said the pair view their gender and skin color as an advantage and use the doubt shared by some as motivation.

鈥淲e have chosen to focus on doing what it is we are here to do and to do what we do in excellence. Let the work speak for itself and, in turn, let the naysayers or the so-called challenge makers drift to the wayside because, at the end, when you look and see a great finished product no one can tell if it was done by male or female hands or Black, White or Latino hands,鈥� she said.

Though Tri-Fold Cord Construction has only participated in NAMC-OR activities via Zoom because of the pandemic, Scott said they have gained a plethora of information, introductions and wisdom. 鈥淣ate鈥檚 personal commitment not only to this organization, but to the individual members, is mind-blowing and so refreshing and securing.鈥�

Scott shared that when her company had an incident with another company, before she had even formally met Nate McCoy, their mentor contacted McCoy and they scheduled a meeting with the president of that company within a few hours.

鈥淲hen we discussed the issue with our mentor, we were thinking he would give us advice on how to proceed and hopefully something would be done about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey made sure something was done, done quickly and done right!鈥�

Scott said her advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs is to be as informed as possible about their business and their industry, and surround themselves with wise people who will tell them the truth, even when it鈥檚 difficult.

鈥淲e鈥檝e learned there is always more to learn, tricks of the trade, and when you are around people willing to teach you and drop those golden nuggets, learn. There is no reason to repeat a mistake someone has already made. Save yourself the headache and instead fill your head with ways to do it the right way. There are always opportunities to learn and grow, don鈥檛 miss them, seek them out,鈥� she said.

Scott also advised other small business owners to trust their instincts when they feel it鈥檚 time to take their company to the next level or tackle bigger projects. It may be intimidating, but it will help them stretch and grow.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l never know all you can achieve if you don鈥檛 try. If it doesn鈥檛 work out the first time you can always try again or try something else if you choose, but if you go for it decide to expect it to work out for you,鈥� she said.