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>> Steve Wright: Just, understand
they gotta be done on time.
So, but there are, there are, in Illinois there's probably six of
us and then you've got them in, you know probably
that many more in Indiana.
There's seems to be a lot of them in
Missouri for some reason, 8 or 10.
But you know, you start thinking about it, nationwide, there's a
hundred of us, not many.
Yeah?
>> male speaker: What sort of degree
do you require someone to have to be in a supervisory role?
Some sort of engineering degree?
>> Steve: Nah, some of the
best superintendents I had came out of Lake
Land's engineering tech program.
Two year deal.
I , I think you need some education, because the technical
part of it takes too long to learn with on the job training.
But, what I use of my, I don't mean this to sound like it's
wasteful, I just chose to be a contractor.
But what I use of my education, I could have gotten one year if
they's have taught me all at the same time.
I could have used more business courses, because I had some
entrepreneurial spirit I guess, I wanted to
make my own decisions.
Because I've never been afraid to suffer the consequences if I
was wrong, and I've been wrong.
I've made some costly mistakes.
But you just fix them and go on, you don't whine and look for
somebody else to pay for it.
I think that all came, I was in the Navy in Vietnam era, and I
got out of there and I knew I wanted to minimize the number of
people telling me what to do, cause everybody
told me what to do in the navy.
This place is way different than when I was here.
You guys are about half mile south of
anything that was here when I was.
>> male speaker: So have you ever hired
anyone out of the Industrial Tech Program here at Eastern?
>> Steve Wright: Haven't had anybody apply.
Cause I would, you know, assuming we needed somebody.
Now I've got this young guy i was telling you about that's
such a super star for us, he's out of ISU's CM program.
But no, none of you guys have, since I've
been coming over here you know.
We've got a lot of Eastern grads, my controller is an
accountant, graduate accountant from here.
Actually you know, it's interesting, I own 100% of the
company, but a guy that I roomed with when I was
here is my good right hand.
He's got an MBA from Eastern.
He [unclear dialogue] a degree in MBA.
I've got an MBA from University of Illinois.
Got another guy with a business degree from
here, I'm the only Saluki.
I like to see the education, only cause it proves to me that
you can stick to it and finish something.
>> male speaker: Do you guys do internships?
>> Steve Wright: Uh... well, not.
[unclear dialogue]
>> Steve Wright: Well, we try to cooperate
with things like that.
The problem you get into for us, there's really not a lot you can
learn there in the office, with those project
managers, cause it goes so fast.
If you're not there day after day after day to see that whole
process and to actually just sit there and listen to these guys
and how they're negotiating these contracts.
You know it's pretty interesting to go out on the job sites, and
I think most of the classes have been able to do it.
The closest one I have right now is in Lincoln.
So you're looking at what?
A two and a half hour drive.
I don't know, are you going to try and make that trip or not?
>> male speaker: What stage is the project at?
>> Steve Wright: Oh it's great.
I mean it's, it's, there'll be a hundred plus workers.
>> male speaker: What stage of the
building are you at?
>> Steve: I mean it's
[unclear dialogue], it's roughed
over, you know they're working outside, they're working inside.
>> male speaker: [unclear dialogue]
>> Steve: Yeah, I mean they're past
setting the steel, pouring the early
concrete, but there'll be a lot going on.
You know, it's October, gotta hurry.
>> male speaker: [unclear dialogue]
>> Steve Wright: Yeah.
>> Dr. Wafeek Wahby: What would you say for to
a student who is graduating in two or three years,
and he wants to start his own business?
>> Steve Wright: I would say work
for someone else for five years. It's too hard.
We've talked about this before, it's so tough now to get a
technical degree, even in four years, that there's no time to
teach you any business.
But if you want to be in business you
gotta understand that stuff.
It took me ten years.
I was in business for seven or eight years before I could read
a financial statement.
My gosh I can read them now, you know,
just the little management.
It's amazing just the little things that you can do to make
your business more profitable.
You know, I learned get out of debt as quick as you can.
Now I've been at it so long, we have a little extra cash.
I keep it invested.
Last year I think, we made $120,000 just off of interest,
just from having our cash invested.
I mean it's like doing a small job, for free,
found it in the street.
And it's little stuff like that.
But you can't do it until you're out of debt.
So you wanna get out of debt.
Not hey I've got my first big check, I've paid everybody, I've
got enough money left to get a BMW.
Pssht.
Don't do it.
Just invest it and five years from now you can
have a bigger, better BMW.
I don't have one by the way.
I've got a jeep.
But, I, it's really, well, you know, i mean I'm, hopefully I'm,
I'm still enthusiastic to you guys about it.
I like what I do.
And I enjoy, I even enjoy this, I hate being old enough that I'm
like an institution where I've really got anything to tell you.
Most of the time I still really enjoy it.
There's bad days, bought five years ago we dumped a bunch of
mud into a lake in Missouri; had to pay to dredge it out.
I didn't like that much.
But, you know eight inches of rain in our controls failed.
That was about ten days that wasn't any fun.
Most of the time it's still enjoyable.
Where you fellows from?
I mean local?
Or near local?
>> male speaker: Paris.
>> Steve: Paris?
You're from Chicago?
How about you?
>> male speaker: DuQuion.
>> Steve: DuQuion?
>>audience members: [unclear dialogue] Newton.
>> Steve: My right hand
man's from Newton.
>> male speaker: Palatine.
>> Steve: Yeah?
>> male speaker: Close to Chicago, huh?
>> male speaker: Close to Chicago.
>> Steve: Yeah?
What about you?
>> audience members: Oblong.
Outside Chicago.
Monticello.
Washington.
>> Steve: You probaby saw my
Wal-Mart up there.
How about you?
>> male speaker: Ottowa.
>> Steve: Iowa?
Where?
>> male speaker: Ottowa.
>> Steve: Yeah, where?
Oh, Ottawa!
I thought you said Iowa.
[audience laughter]
I'm 63.
>> male speaker: Morton Park.
Chicago.
Up near Chicago, Palestine.
>> Steve Wright: Okay, so we got
you everything North of I-80 is Chicago to us.
Did I get everybody?