12/06/2024
In celebration of Steveās 30 years at Strand Concrete and 20 years at Big Dog Drilling:
When I was a little girl I didnāt really understand what my dad did for a job, I just knew ādaddy does dirtā.
For years I rolled my eyes in annoyance everytime we had to stop āto check a jobā on the way home from a dinner out or anytime he pointed out a job we did the concrete on. I never wanted to work for the family business and when I started here as a teenager I saw what my dad did every day and thought all he did was pick up checks and go to lunch.
Now Iām on the other side and unfortunately people just donāt get it. No one on the outside really knows what itās like to run a family business. Every holiday, every family dinner is a business meeting. It never ends. Thereās no such thing as vacations, holidays or weekends. Thereās no explaining to outsiders what this dream job actually entails. Yes, there is flexibility and freedom but there is a lot of sacrifice. No one sees when he wakes up in the middle of the night to check the bank account or transfer money out of his retirement account to cover payroll. But thatās the sacrifice we made when my father started TWO family businesses.
Itās in his blood, he canāt help it. His family is made up of entrepreneurs and business owners. His grandfather started Dearborn Stove Company in the 1950s and later founded Strand Corporation a manufacturing company based in Garland, TX. Then Steveās mother ran the company in the 80s. Pretty incredible feat for a single woman at that time. Both of his sisters were successful realtors and many of his nieces and nephews went on to become business owners as well. Maybe itās the Swedish influence on our genetics.
As you know Steve has a special personality, you either love him or you donāt. Thereās no middle ground. He paves his own way and makes his own rules so naturally working for other people wasnāt a good fit. As a young family man in the 80s after his family business sold he began working in construction. Somewhere around the mid 90s he found himself where many employees find themselves. Broke and unhappy he thought āthis isnāt rocket science, I can make my own concrete companyā.
Around 1995 Strand and Associates was born and the Steve and Dena Jones family embarked on a new adventure. Over the years changes came, from humble beginnings doing engineering inspections with only two people, to residential concrete projects, then a name change to Strand Concrete and growing the company to tackle multimillion commercial projects. Through it all, the heart of the business has remained the same. āSmall enough to listen, big enough to deliver.
My father has taught me many lessons throughout my 40 years of being his daughter and now business partner. Heās taught me the value of hard work, heās taught me to care about people and be generous with what God has given us but mostly heās taught me to never back down from a challenge. Be afraid and do it anyways. No matter what tough things life and business has thrown at us I know we can figure it out and I know we have each others backs.
I love you dad and Iām so happy you finally got your fairy tale ending in the mountains. Texas will miss you! Thank you for everything you have taught us all about this industry and about life. You can hang your hard hat up now, Big Dog.
