Veteran-Owned Construction Firm Grows on the Strength of Federal Set-Asides

James Whitfield left the Army after twelve years of service and started a construction company in the Lehigh Valley with a business plan built almost entirely around federal contracting rules that reserve a share of government work for veteran-owned small businesses.

"I didn't have decades of civilian construction relationships to compete on," Whitfield said. "What I had was a veteran-owned certification and a willingness to learn federal procurement rules better than anyone else bidding against me."

The company's early contracts came from small renovation projects at federal facilities, work Whitfield says larger contractors often treat as a low priority. As the business built a track record, it graduated into larger federal construction contracts, including work on veterans' medical facilities where Whitfield says his own service background helps in client conversations.

The company now employs 65 people and has begun bidding on private commercial projects for the first time, a deliberate move to reduce reliance on the federal set-aside pipeline as the business matures.

"The certification got us in the door," Whitfield said. "It was never going to be the whole business forever."