Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1024442
NegociosNow NegociosNow www.negociosnow.com 14 Diciembre 2008 NegociosNow NegociosNow www.negociosnow.com 14 Diciembre 2008 14 Agosto 2018 NegociosNow NegociosNow Filadeldia M ike Diaz is the Chief Executive Officer of Semper Utilities, a com- pany which provides utility con- struction services, an industry with very few minority-owned businesses. Out of 11,000 contractors nationally who specialize in his field, only .4% are minority owned. But a benefit is that he has "a circle of influences," of other minority entrepreneurs to guide him. Semper Utilities is based the Philadelphia metropolitan area and Diaz said his plan is for the company to provide jobs and give back to the community. "Our viability will be a by-prod- uct of what we do in this commu- nity," Diaz said. Diaz is a Marine veteran with a security clearance, meaning what he did in the Marine Corp is clas- sified, but he said the organiza- tional experience he gained dur- ing his service should give him a leg up. He said that there's a big gap in document collection in his indus- try, and his years in the military give Semper Utilities a step ahead in helping get all the appropriate paperwork. Semper Utilities received its approval as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in August 2017 and began operations shortly after that. But Diaz has over has over 30 years of experience in the utility industry with work in distribu- tion, transmission, and under- ground services; this experience, he hopes, will make his services stand out. "Along with the guidance of our CEO, we are a team of highly trained and experienced indi- viduals who have a strong set of morals and ethics to help pro- vide the highest level of safety, professionalism, and quality to our employees, partners, and cus- tomers." Semper Utilities says on its website. "He started Semper Utilities because he saw a need in the industry to provide profession- al, safe, and cost-effective util- ity construction services. Mike prides himself in having a team of highly experienced staff with a keen understanding of industry regulations and safety controls." The site continues. "Mike and his team encourage the utiliza- tion of modern technology to help support their clients in order to expand visual capabilities, while providing real-time status updates of current projects. They strongly believe in keeping proj- ect communication open to all networks within the company." Though the company is less than a year old, he said many promising things have already occurred. He secured a sub-contract to provide utility services for a larger commercial project. He's working on deals in Florida and Puerto Rico. He said he would "find a sub- contractor agreement to do sup- port storm work in Florida. (He is) Negotiating a subcontractor agreement for recovery in Puerto Rico. Diaz said he hoped to build his base in Philadelphia, providing jobs, and giving back to the com- munity. He said the best part about being an entrepreneur is that he sees his dreams come true, but the toughest part is going months at a time without being paid; indeed, he noted that so far, he's sunk in more than six figures of his own money, but that all his effort will be validated when he gets the first contract. MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS MAKING ITS MARK IN UTILITY CONTRACTING USHCC National Convention "O ur viability will be a by-product of what we do in this community"