“I would say that what we do, all us small business owners, is exceedingly difficult, so it is easy to get discouraged. I think that you have to really do some soul searching and decide whether you're committed enough to stick it out. Because it's going to be tough, there are going to be ups and down. You never arrive, as a friend of mine says. You never arrive. You're always striving, and it's always going to be difficult. So, you have to decide, "Are you committed enough to stay the course?" (48:35)
Angela O’Byrne is a passionate advocate for women and minorities in design, construction, and real estate development.
Angela story begins in Cali, Colombia where she was born and a few years later came to the United States. She earned a Master of Architecture form Tulane University and a MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
But this was only the beginning of her journey. In 1998 she came back to Perez APC and a few years later in 2000, following the passing of one owner O’Byrne was asked to take over the company.
She won her first contract in Won with US Army Corps in 1999, which was an IDIQ Angela then applied and received her 8(a) certification. But like many others, eight years passed before I saw anything happen. Angela kept pushing and pushed thorough the discouragement and kept telling herself “It’ll happen one day” And one day came when she visited Bob at her local PTAC office and she I said "Please, I'm begging you. Tell me what am I doing wrong? How do I get these sole-source 8(a) contracts? What is the deal? What is the secret sauce?" That same evening and the next day she followed their guidance and she was triumphant within days when she landed her first sole source contract.
Since then, Angela has positioned her firm as an industry leader in disaster recovery, as evidenced by an extensive portfolio of architectural and damage assessment work in response to natural disasters including Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina.
She has successfully led complex design and construction projects around the world. Including a $500 Million USAID contract in Afghanistan–the largest infrastructure construction contract awarded to a women-owned business to date by the USAID-Afghanistan Mission.
She was just honored in New Orleans 2016 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.In 2014, Angela received the Runner Up Women in Business Award from SBA Louisiana, and in 2013, Perez was named the SBA Louisiana District Women-Owned Business of the Year.
In this episode we have the privilege to hear her own journey in becoming a powerful, influential, inspiring and determined Woman. Her experiences with doing contracts all over the world, how she got her first sole source and much more.
Today Angela is working in El Salvador, Haiti, Beirut, Lebanon, Jordan, Burkena Faso and Zambia.
It’s not enough to go to Washington D.C. you have to go to the missions.
Book Recommendations:
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S.) by Matt Ridley
The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World's Happiest People by Dan Buettner |
