DAWSON CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
DCM ’ s first public works project was updating a 20-unit apartment building in East Oakland for Richmond Housing Services , a non-profit housing developer . “ Initially , we were just contracted to replace doors , toilets and water heaters ,” shares Lamont , “ but the building was 60 years old , so it didn ’ t even have individual shut-off valves in each unit , which meant that if one unit had an issue that required us to turn off the water , we had to shut off the supply to the entire building . Six months in , it became clear that this project required major reconstruction and renovation , which we completed .” The next project his company tackled was a down-to-the-studs renovation of a number of rental houses which needed new electrical panels and conduit , roofing , windows , flooring , kitchens and bathrooms .
Lamont credits his success with having an extensive personal and professional network . “ I have many friends and colleagues in various trades . I surrounded myself with people who ’ d been in construction a lot longer than I had , and was able to sub out to and gain more experience through them .”
As a small business owner , his biggest challenges have been handling all the estimating , field work and back office duties himself . “ It ’ s a lot to manage ,” he notes . “ It makes it harder for me take on as many jobs as I know I could do , because I would be stretched too thin . My resolution for 2025 is to be more selective about what jobs I take on .”
Lamont adds that when he started out , the paperwork for incorporating and getting a
Firehouse partition wall nearly completed
business license was very time-consuming because it could not be completed online – something that has since changed for the better . He points out that he also had to learn the finer points of estimating and bidding . “ Bidding jobs can be daunting when you ’ re starting out , because if you bid too high , you won ’ t win the contract , but if you bid too low , you ’ re going to take a loss . For example , the first time I bid on replacing 20 windows in a home , I hadn ’ t yet learned how to factor in my time , overhead and costs , so I did not include enough of a margin and ended up losing money .” Lamont overcame these challenges by learning from those with more experience , but in the near future , he would also like to find someone to provide front-facing customer service , marketing , and a business development plan .
He first heard of the Contractor Technical Assistance Program ( CTAP ) after being
SPRING 2025 CONTRACTOR REPORT - 09