Schneider Construction, LLC Cape Charles, Virginia

My father was a contractor and started bringing me to work with him when I was 9. On Saturday mornings we'd get up at 5:30 AM and get on the road to head to the job site, always stopping along the way for a donut or a buttered hard roll. He told me he needed my help but in reality, he was a hard-working guy trying to make ends meet and this was the time he could afford to spend with me. As I got older, it became a part-time job on weekends and school vacations... it was a great way for a young kid to make some money. Although I enjoyed the work, I spent my entire adolescence explaining to my father I was far too smart to ever become a contractor and shared my plan to become an engineer. But I quickly became present to the fact my true passion was actually creating structures rather than mathematically proving they would work. I also realized nothing I chose to do would limit my urge to learn and have earned 5 designations from the National Association of Home Builders. Decades later I find this small design-build firm has become my identity, built on a set of skills I never intended to use. Thanks Dad.