Source Building Group Inc. was founded in 2012 in Fort Worth and almost didn’t survive its first job. But founder and owner Trelaine M. Mapp didn’t give up and as of 2017 recorded gross billings for $2 million.
The company follows a construction manager/general contractor model.
Mapp is a graduate of the Leadership Fort Worth LeaderPrime program for CEOs new to the area or new to the job.
He thought he had it all worked out after years of construction experience when the entrepreneurial bug bit him hard.
“When I started Source, I thought I’d saved up enough money to at least spend about six months to a year starting a company,” he told the Business Press in a previous interview. He spent four months writing a business plan and showed it to a mentor who told him he needed to be more realistic. He did that, but it still wasn’t what happened in the real world “because stuff doesn’t happen as automatically as I thought.”
But that’s in the past now, or at least as far in the past as it ever gets in business.
Mapp responded to a questionnaire about his business from the Fort Worth Business Press:
What differentiates your company from others in a similar business?
Service excellence for our clients and commitment to our communities.
All businesses go through some tough times. What was your greatest challenge and how did you respond to it?
Our greatest challenge was a financial loss on our first project, which a retail build-out in Dallas. I considered closing the company doors. However, we persevered and were awarded a project at the American Airlines headquarters building.
The business climate is changing rapidly. What do you foresee as challenges?
Access to capital is a challenge for us as a small company due to our high-risk types of work.
Access to labor is a significant challenge due to the market being busy with projects and opportunities. There is a current deficiency in available management staff as well as labor. In addition, retention is difficult.
Other challenges include fluctuating material pricing.
In general, do you see the present business climate as challenging, uncertain or optimistic and why?
Optimistic due to the continued population growth of the DFW Metroplex. Our industry thrives on this growth.
If you could make one and only one change in the present business climate, what would it be and why?
Reduce the emphasis on lowest price that owners use to make selections, even in this busy market.
Source Building Group Inc.
5601 Bridge St., Suite 230, Fort Worth
Number of employees: 10
sourcebuild.net
– Paul K. Harral