A Big Dream Pays Off

Profile on: Gene Birdwell, of Birdwell Construction and Remedial Construction Services

Who hasn’t dreamed of leaving the humdrum of their day-to-day job and starting their own business? That’s exactly what Gene Birdwell of Houston, Texas did in 1978. He had been working in the construction industry for 20 years when he finally decided to give it a go. But it wasn’t just a random decision. A lot of prayer and discussion went into the move. “We really felt like the Lord was in it,” says Gene.

Big break!

For the first couple of years, Birdwell Construction was pretty much a one-man show. Bidding on projects, buying materials, supervising the site, you name it; Gene did it all. But in 1980, Gene received his first “big break” when a friend gave his fledgling company the chance to construct an industrial plant. At a budget of $3.5 million, this project was a far cry from the small housing projects Gene had been tackling before; however, by applying a combination of hard work and a passion for excellence, Birdwell Construction pulled it off.

A family business

Around that time, Gene’s oldest son Brad graduated from Texas A & M with a degree in building construction. He came on board to help supervise projects – the first of which was a new house for his parents. Gene’s other son Steve seemed destined to eke out a career path outside the construction industry at first; however, when the environmental engineering firm Steve worked for was struggling to find contractors that were qualified to carry out sensitive environmental cleanup operations, Steve approached his father with the idea of branching out into the environmental cleanup business. Trusting his son’s instincts, Gene decided to give it a go.

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It turned out to be a good decision, because Remedial Construction Services, as Gene’s second company is called, was operating in the black within two months of start up. They haven’t looked back since. One of the keys to their early success, according to Gene, was their ability to tackle the cleanup problems from a construction point of view rather than an engineering point of view, which was typical of the industry at the time. This allowed Gene’s company to do things faster and cheaper. They also benefited from the use of certain technologies that other companies didn’t have; however, a good work ethic and a commitment to integrity and excellence were key elements to establishing and maintaining the reputation of this and Birdwell Construction. As Gene puts it, “There is only one way to do a job, and that’s right.”

Practice what we preach

Gene’s strong Christian faith has played a key role in shaping his working philosophy. The way Gene sees it, what you practice at home should carry over into your business as well. “We try to live like we preach,” Gene says. “I don’t want to go home at night ashamed of anything that we’ve done.” Following the Lord Has Been Good for Business Gene’s sons agree. Not only is following the Lord the right thing to do, it’s also been good for business. “We’ve built our reputation around relationships with clients,” says Steve. “They know they can trust us regardless of what the paper contract says.” Some of these clients have stuck with Birdwell for 20 years. With $30 million in business this year and a projected $40 million in contracts for next year, its unlikely Gene and his team will be changing their philosophy of business any time soon.

Have you ever dreamed starting your own in business? If so, why not follow Gene’s example and see what God thinks first? If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

2 Responses to “A Big Dream Pays Off”

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• Lyle Milstead says:

  June 10, 2010 at 9:54 pm

  Love this!!

• John Basic says:

  October 25, 2010 at 10:32 pm

  Gene:
  Prepared info for you as requested when I visited with Greg Stewart. Ready to send it. Misplaced your card.
  Please send me your email address. My cell phone is: 239 919 0052.
  Thanks
  John