In 2014, I was 20 years old with one old GMC dump truck and a skid steer, working out of a corner of a yard I rented from another contractor. Back then the business was called Pinnacle Sitescapes — we did landscaping, grading, hauling, and whatever work I could get my hands on.

That truck broke down almost every week. I'd fix it on the weekend and hope it'd make it through the following week. A lot of long days, a lot of help from people who didn't have to give it, and a lot of learning the hard way.

In 2017, I rebranded as Paragon Contracting and expanded our services to include concrete — foundations, slabs, and flatwork.

Today, I'm grateful to say Paragon runs a full crew serving builders across Wake Forest, Raleigh, and the Triangle — and we operate out of the same shop where I used to rent space.

I don't take any of it for granted. We just try to show up, do the work right, and earn the next job.