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April 03, 2024

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Latinas playing role in Dallas metroplex’ robust construction industry

By Valerie Krieger, guest writer

When it comes to the robust construction industry in the Dallas metroplex, companies led by Latinas don’t readily come to mind — but they should.

Take, for instance, Elizabeth Ponce, who has been in construction since 2002 and chose demolition — or abatement — as her company’s specialty because she had experience in that area. 

“I started working right after high school as a receptionist,” she said. “As time went by, I was running almost every administrative function in the company, but when I asked for a small $10 raise, I was told there was no money. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to move up, I had to move out.” 

Ponce said the demolition industry did not typically value women — especially Latina women — and that banks were very unlikely to lend money to a novice entrepreneur with no college degree.

But thanks to encouragement from the Dallas-based Regional Hispanic Contractors Association or RHCA and a small loan from her father, she was able to start her company, Ponce Contractors. Since then, she has won demolition contracts in airports, universities, schools and corporations.

In 2015 Ponce started her latest company, Picasso Contractors LLC. It recently exceeded its previous year’s sales of $3 million by double digits. 

To “pay it forward,” she is currently board co-chair of the National RHCA Training and Safety Foundation and frequently mentors young Latinx entrepreneurs.

A blessing … and a curse

In 2012, Valerie Jimenez founded Bold Entity, an award-winning Dallas-based business-to-business (B2B) marketing agency. She has focused on leveling the playing field for small businesses by enabling them to approach marketing in the same way a Fortune 500 firm would — with strategic focus, insight-driven tactics and quantifiable results.

She said her unique approach to marketing includes creating a framework to identify what makes each client’s business exceptional, then deploying that information to craft impactful stories that drive growth. And it works: She said her strategy has yielded a 300% return on investment for her clients.

Jimenez said that being a recent immigrant she couldn’t lean on a network of family or friends to help her meet people who could eventually become clients.

“And I discovered what most young Latinos find — which is that banks are very, very hesitant to lend money to our new ventures,” she said.

So, Jimenez self-funded Bold Entity and made ends meet by taking every piece of business that came her way.

 “At the end of the day, I am a marketing expert, a graphic designer and an entrepreneur,” she said. “I’m also a wife, a mother and [a] Latina. This is the recipe that has made me successful, and I wouldn’t trade any of those ‘ingredients’ for the world.”

No labels, please

Armed with a journalism degree from Southern Methodist University, Veronica Muñoz made a name for herself covering sports and hard news for Univision Communications Inc. After a successful journalism career — thanks to working alongside her father for many years, the construction industry was “in my blood,” she said.

So, in 2012, she launched Mezquite Installations Inc., focusing on the construction industry sector she knew best: flooring for commercial projects. The company quickly expanded and now offers a variety of wall and ceiling finishes, in addition to all types of flooring for commercial projects.

An RHCA board member, Muñoz recently expanded Mezquite Installations to include custom millwork, which she creates at her in-house shop.

“In my home, we were brought up never to classify ourselves as one thing or another,” she said. “So, I have never conformed to labels — and I certainly won’t let people put labels on me.”

Muñoz said at times some have doubted her because of her gender or her heritage, but “once we get to talking about the technicalities of a project, my bona fides ring true, and I smash any preconceived notions people might have had.”

To learn more about Picasso Contractors, visit picassollc.com.

To learn more about Bold Entity, visit boldentity.com.

To learn more about Mezquite Installations, visit mezquiteinstallations.com.

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