As the saying goes….

The good part about starting from scratch is that you know where it came from and what it takes to make it. The bad part about starting from scratch, is that you start with nothing, and failure is around every corner. 

If failure has slapped you in the face, remember, you started once and you can always start over again. As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. In my mind, when one door closes, it’s usually for the better and the next door is the one you were meant to open in the first place. 

Failure is the end only if you allow it to be so. It should always be looked at as a new beginning. Trace Creek Construction started with $5,000 and one employee, me. Over the years there have been numerous projects that we spent hours preparing for and bidding, just to come in second place and not win the bid . However, we came to find out, on more than one occasion, that many of these projects we’d hope to win, were not a good fit for us as a company for one reason or another. 

I specifically remember two school construction projects we tried very hard to get. After seeing the projects completed and knowing the difficulty the contractor had getting them done, we realize we would not have done well on them. We would have probably lost money on them if we had gotten them.

Two of the biggest reasons for our success have been the quality of the employees we have and the fact subcontractor/suppliers know their invoices are always paid on time. 

Several of our employees have been with us for more than 20 years of the 28 years the business has been in existence. One of our current employees is the second employee ever hired by the company.

In the beginning, Trace Creek attempted to perform many of the trades craft work in house. We quickly realized that to produce the quality we expected, the tradesmen needed to work in their specific trade every day. That is the reason that a majority of our work is now subcontracted out to specialized contractors.

Trace Creek has always embraced change and new technology. We have stayed ahead of the curve in respect to implementation of new ways of managing and constructing projects.

We’re now taking that same mentality on the economic development front of the communities  that ae so close to our hearts in Northeast Kentucky. There have also been numerous projects we’ve worked on in this company that haven’t worked out, and while it’s a blow initially, the realization that it wouldn’t have been a good fit with our area, and that it did in fact save the community some stress and heartache, is well worth the wait for something better . 

Knowing when to let a door close is one of the most important gifts for any business person, economic developer, or  person in general. This is a gift many do not fully understand or take into consideration. The next time a door closes, I encourage you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Was it actually a good fit for you personally? For your community? For your family? 

I invite you to share with me a story about your own door being closed, and what opened because of it. 

 Best, 

Sam Howard