Marjorie Perry is used to fighting uphill battles. Being a black woman in a male-dominated construction industry has tested her mettle over her 21 year career as a small business owner.
Today, the president of MZM Construction Company, a Newark-based general contracting company that provides its clients with construction services has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2012 New Jersey Small Business Person of the Year.
In making the announcement, SBA’s New Jersey District Director Alfred Titone said Perry was selected for the award based on criteria that include: Staying Power (a substantial history of an established business); Growth in Number of Employees; Increase in Sales; Financial Strength of the Company; Innovativeness of Product or Service Offered; Response to Adversity and Contributions to Aid Community Oriented Projects.
Perry, a former sales and marketing executive, initially was brought into MZM as a consultant and then partner in 1992. When her partners became discouraged with their slow growth, Perry saw potential and growth and offered to buy her partners out in 1994. Since that time, Perry has never looked back. She immediately turned things around by creating her own team and developing a value–driven culture and philosophy at MZM Construction Company.
A critical juncture came in 1998, when Perry needed capital to grow her business. That’s when she turned to the SBA. Through Columbia Bank, Perry received a $250,000 SBA-backed loan to expand her business. “That was a make or break point at the time for MZM,” said Perry,“Technically, there was only a four year track record for the company at the time. However we needed the loan to fulfill a contract and secure more work. Fortunately, the SBA and Columbia Bank saw the potential in us.”
In November of 2010, Perry came back to the SBA and received certification under the agency’s 8(a) Program. The certification helps small disadvantaged businesses compete for contracts from the federal government. As a result of her participation in this program, MZM Construction Company was able to book $6 million in contracts from federal agencies during 2011.
Today, MZM Construction Company has grown from nine to 28 employees and has annual sales in excess of $7 million. The company provides its customers with services like carpentry, new construction, renovations, construction management, and hazardous and non-hazardous waste removal “MZM Construction Company is a remarkable success story,” said Titone. “Early on, Marjorie Perry had a clear vision of how to build a successful company. Competing in a male-dominated construction industry didn’t deter her from achieving the pinnacle of success. She will be the first to tell you that there were obstacles along the way, but small business owners who have the determination and perseverance like Marjorie, find a way to adjust in order achieve their level of success.”
MZM Construction Company has performed general contracting work for clients that include NewJersey Performing Arts Center, Delta Airlines, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Verizon, Continental Airlines, Marriott and MetLife Stadium. The company will also be providing constructions services at the new Panasonic headquarters in Newark.
“National Small Business Week gives us the platform to celebrate the successes of companies like MZM Construction Company,” said SBA Region II Regional Administrator Jorge Silva-Puras. “Marjorie Perry is to be commended for deciding to grow her business in the city of Newark and for contributing to the growth of the economy by providing for the livelihoods of 28 employees. We are delighted that SBA programs have played a small part in the success that Marjorie Perry and MZM Construction Company currently enjoy today.”
As part of SBA’s National Small Business Week festivities (May 20th-May 26th), Perry was honored in Washington, D.C. by SBA’s Administrator Karen Mills, where she competed for the title of SBA’s National Small Business Person of the Year with representatives of 49 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Perry was also be honored by the SBA’s New Jersey District Office and the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce at the Annual New Jersey Small Business Week Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, at the New Jersey and Exposition Center in Edison, New Jersey.