DAWSON CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT and construction firms to complete the network build-out .”
Lamont Dawson of Dawson Construction Management
my two brothers and I helped my dad build an addition onto our family home . In the summer , I also used to clean up the yard and office for my uncle , who had a concrete and asphalt business in Oakland for nearly 40 years . In the 70 ’ s and 80 ’ s , his company had gotten the original wheelchair ramp contract for the City of Oakland , and he was hoping to interest me in taking over his business , but I just wasn ’ t into it at the time , so I ended up working in telecommunications for 20 years .”
While working in sales for Comcast , Lamont was still indirectly associated with construction . “ I would sign up presale internet customers and build enough interest to justify the expense of bringing in a new network to a particular office or apartment building ,” he explains . “ Then , I would deal with the local municipalities and coordinate getting the necessary permits
In 2016 , when Comcast ’ s capacity was unable to keep up with consumer demand for services , Lamont was among the many laid off . “ I ended up becoming a project manager for a local family-owned construction company . I didn ’ t know anything about the day-to-day construction process , such as doing estimates and takeoffs , but I learned a lot on the job .” Lamont ’ s experience grew as the company worked on residential renovations in Oakland , Richmond and Berkeley , and completed energy and plumbing upgrades for lowincome homeowner rehabilitation programs and projects for Habitat for Humanity .
Lamont was still working for the same construction company when he established Dawson Construction Management ( DCM ) in 2018 . When the pandemic hit , everything initially shut down in the residential sector and Lamont ’ s employer decided that it was a good time to move his company to Texas . At this point , Lamont had gotten his general contractor license , because he ’ d been getting calls from people who were working from home and needed spaces modified or home offices created to better meet their stay-at-home needs .
“ I aced the legal section of the test on the first try , but it took me three times to pass the math and measurements portion ,” he chuckles . “ It really helped when someone told me that the formulas don ’ t change , so I was able to memorize those and of course , in the real world , we have programs to assist with complex calculations .”
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