Profile: Silver Lake Construction

Doubling Down on the Right Things

Meet Nicole Meggerson de Martinez and her husband Douglas Martinez who, together, lead the rapidly growing Triangle, NC commercial construction company, Silver Lake Construction Company, LLC.

Neither of this power-builder couple were strangers to the construction industry and its challenges when they launched their company. Douglas had been a Superintendent for decades, both in California and North Carolina. And Nicole brought career-long experience in construction management of massive government capital improvement programs in California, including the Diamond Valley Lake, a reservoir engineered to supply 19 million Southern California residents with water for 6 months should alternate delivery systems become compromised (such as by an earthquake).

What comes through loud and clear when you learn about their entrepreneurial journey is their passion for excellence, in work and in relationships.

Many service businesses start with one or both of these, but what’s inspiring about this duo is how they’ve connected them to factors driving their success.

Let’s look at this, and how we can leverage what they’ve put into practice to help our own businesses!

CORE VALUES may point the way to your competitive advantage

In Nicole and Douglas’ case, the core value of mutual respect is hard wired into both their personal beliefs, and into their business processes, communication, compensation and expectations. This is not just operations manual fluff—it’s at the heart of their operation, and their success.

Right from the first conversation, whether with prospective team members or prospective clients, they make it clear through how they show up that only those who treat people well will make their cut.

This isn’t about hanging motivational posters, or making defensive demands that they should come first or always win out. Yes, they have confidence in their expertise, and the credentials to back it up. But their edge comes through how they adhere to that other golden rule, treat others as you would like to be treated.

So, what does that look like in practice?

1. They look for people who “find joy in excellence,” as well as those who’ve demonstrated a commitment to long-term relationships vs short-term gains.

2. Every aspect of operations and decision-making—staff, clients, subcontractors, bids, accounts payable, timelines, communication—their whole business circles back to their prioritization of mutual respect.

3. And in a world where many of us too quickly succumb to fear, self-doubt, lack of trust, and the hyper-competitive belief that to win is everything, their success can be an incredible north star for us all. Because if you think your industry is too cutthroat for such a wholesome value to guide you… well, let’s just say construction ranks up there. If they can do it, so can you!

A LEADERSHIP LESSON on how to let go, so your business can grow:

Fuel growth through clear boundaries.

For those who have doubts about their fellow man (or woman), it can feel like a total fantasy to imagine operating from trust and respect. The trouble is, without others, our businesses just aren’t gonna grow. So how do you bring others into your world, and still maintain your unique edge and excellence?

This question brings us to Silver Lake’s mantra: We inspect what we expect. There’s a wealth of teaching in those 5 words, in part connected to an important principle: clear boundaries. Both setting them and holding them.

How can you leverage boundary-setting lessons for your business?

 1.     Be specific and clear in setting and communicating expectations. This doesn’t mean talking atpartners or clients to lay out that it’s your way or the highway! Instead, take time to ensure there is all-around understanding and agreement to process, actions and the desired result. Confirm everyone’s on the same page.

2.     Remember that you’re always leading. Sometimes you’ll be wearing a coaching hat, others a supervisory, training, or negotiating hat, but as the boss, your main role is keeping everyone’s eye on the big picture and how each piece fits in and supports success.

• Read the book Bring Yourself, by Mori Taheripour, for masterful lessons on mindset and negotiation—for business and way beyond.

3.     Invite input from the experts you hire. Be open to learning and new ideas—but require clarity and communication from them, too.

• If someone’s feathers are getting ruffled when you ask for check-ins, testing, or other quality assurances, or they tell you to “just trust them,” because they’re the expert… that’s not a great sign.

4.     Boundaries are your friend! You can give people a chance or two to learn you’re serious, but it’s up to you to take charge of the boundaries that matter. Discern the difference between mistakes and excuses; address patterns-in-the-making (e.g., lateness, not following procedure, failure to deliver, off-color comments, budget overruns) at the first sign.

• And in case it needs saying, actively ban the kind of culture slide that makes it okay to badmouth or belittle staff, subcontractors, or clients—even as a joke.

How shaping your outlook can shape your business

“We approach every day with a perspective of abundance – that there is enough for all of us to be successful,” says Nicole.  “We’ve learned that not every client is a fit, not every project is in our wheelhouse, or timing isn’t quite right, and it’s okay to share a lead with another company that might be a better match.  In that spirit of sharing, we have received much more than we’ve given up.  We’ve developed a wonderful network of colleagues and found that reciprocity is a natural result.”

Living by these principles has helped Silver Lake build a stellar reputation, along with their beautiful commercial upfits and buildouts. If you’d like to learn more about Silver Lake Construction, visit their website at silverlakenc.com, and follow them on Instagram at @silverlake_nc or Facebook @SilverLakeConstruction.

Key Milestones

• We won our first renovation contract at the beginning of 2020—introducing us to a new market—but we’ve also learned the value of diversification. When COVID hit and shut down all non-essential businesses, all our existing contract negotiations dried up.  Because we had registered for notification of public contracting opportunities and networked in a variety of markets, we were positioned to win our first government contract in April 2020. That contract introduced us to a completely new NC market which kept us busy and afloat throughout those uncertain times. We routinely keep our toes in the commercial, medical, and institutional markets to have a variety of income streams. I share this as an example of the importance of diversification of your customer base. When the private sector is not spending, government expenditures generally continue.

• In 2½ years, we went from Limited to Unlimited licensure. We started Silver Lake Construction with a Limited license, which allowed us to begin with a minimal capital investment and work on contracts up to $500,000 in value.  At around 2½ years we reached the capacity to increase our licensure to Unlimited, which enables us to work on projects of any size.  While we’re licensed to do so, we prefer to work with small businesses and solo-preneurs where we can provide a more intimate building experience and project values are under $1M.

Management Tips

1. Keeping fixed costs as low as possible gives you more freedom, and better sleep!  We run our operations very conservatively and have taken great care to minimize our fixed costs, so when contracting is slow, we aren’t strapped with expenses and there is no steady revenue stream. We have a small office that is partially rented out to cover the cost of the space.  The work vehicles purchased have all been well-maintained used vehicles which has helped to keep payments, maintenance expense, and insurance costs low.  We have one well-paid part-time employee that works on an as-needed basis. This arrangement works for him, and it works for us.  This keeps our payroll expenses tied directly to specific projects and we avoid the stress of paying a full-time employee to sit at home when there is nowhere to assign them. Decades ago, my mentor taught me, “watch the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.”

2. Boundaries are extra important in a family business. When working with a spouse or partner it can be difficult to turn off work.  We are intentional about setting aside time to NOT talk about work, to go out on dates, and actively keep the non-work relationship alive.  That way we’ll still like each other when we retire!

About Silver Lake Construction Company, LLC: This HUB-certifiedteam based in Holly Springs NC, founded in 2019, brings 20+ years of commercial building and project management experience, and a passion for delivering quality work, directly to businesses in and around Raleigh, North Carolina. Silver Lake holds an Unlimited General Contractor license. They are committed to helping business owners realize their dreams, feel respected and valued, and actuallyenjoythe commercial build process.