Learning to be a leader

Reese relies on strong background to guide young firm

Troy Reese Family: Wife, Yolanda, is a pediatrician; children, Cameron, 4, Christopher, 3 Education: Linde and Harry Bradley School of Trade and Techololgy, Milwaukee Area Technical College, four-year apprenticeship with Local 264 Carpenter’s Union, Mortenson University’s project managementprogram Interesting fact: “Without Mortenson, this company wouldn’t be here because of the training I received.” Hobbies: Collects die-cast police vehicles. He has 5,000. Favorite cities to travel: Large cities, especially New York Photos by Lawrence Silver

Troy Reese always learned quickly.

But when he opened his own construction firm, T.L. Reese Construction, the 35-year-old took his time before taking his first job.

Reese spent 12 months in 2005 introducing himself to contractors, architects, Realtors and business developers.

“I took a gamble,” he said. “I had some savings, so I didn’t have to work for a year.

“I wanted to make sure business owners knew who I was and I knew them so I wouldn’t be looked at as competition. I wanted to learn how we could both grow our businesses.”

Reese’s patience paid off.

He is serving as construction manager on the 11,000-square-foot Good Hope Medical Clinic on Milwaukee’s northwest side and a 55,000-square-foot commercial and residential project — Boulevard Commons in Sherman Park — on the western edge of Milwaukee.

His firm also recently completed the renovation of the Varsity Theater at Marquette University.

T.J. Reese Construction sales topped $5 million in 2007, and Reese said he predicts the Milwaukee firm will meet that figure again in 2008.

“I don’t want to grow fast; I want to grow smart,” he said. “I own 100 percent of the business.”

Reese is an emerging minority leader in the Milwaukee construction industry. He said there’s a big void in Milwaukee for a minority contractor that can successfully handle complex construction projects valued at more than $5 million.

He started in the construction business by reading a bunch of books and pamphlets to help him remodel his mother’s basement when he was 16. The framing, drywall hanging, electrical wiring, painting and floor-covering installation he practiced on that job laid the foundation for his future.

Reese launched his professional career as a carpenter apprentice with Mortenson Construction, a Minneapolis firm with offices in the Milwaukee area.

He climbed the career ladder — sometimes two rungs at a time — to superintendent working on projects such as skywalks, water parks, hospital renovations and new construction.

The $4.2 million Boulevard Commons project is the largest for T.L. Reese Construction to date. The project consists of two- and three-bedroom apartments and retail space facing Milwaukee’s North Avenue.

“You need a lot of different talents,” said Mark Sherry, vice president and general manager at Mortenson, of Reese’s rapid rise within the 2,700 employee firm. “You need to communicate, gain the respect of the tradespeople and have the wherewithal to withstand the pressure internally and externally. Troy successfully mastered all of that.”

Company officials tapped Reese to participate in Mortenson University, a special construction management program. He said skills he learned in shop classes at Milwaukee Technical High School, from which he graduated in 1991, and in the carpentry program at Milwaukee Area Technical College prepared him for the experience.

Early in the program, Sherry said, Reese established a reputation as a polished professional.

Reese set his sights on Mortenson’s health care division and often worked on challenging projects at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin and Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center during his 13 years with Mortenson.

“Health care construction is cutting-edge technology,” Reese said. “It’s one of the most complex areas in the construction business. You’re almost creating the owner’s manual as you build it. I wanted to learn as much as I could.”

Thumbing through the business listings of the telephone book one day, Reese was struck by the thousands of people willing to take on the risks of owning a company. It convinced him there was room for him as a major player in the construction business.

“I know how the industry operates,” Reese said. “The more knowledge you have, the better it is to be successful.”

As a newcomer and sole proprietor of a minority-owned business, Reese said he tries to create opportunities for residents living in the communities he builds in.

“I’ve not experienced not getting a contract based on race,” he said. “I’m passionate about creating opportunities for workers in the communities we serve.”

He said he uses a mantra he learned from a sign on a Mortenson project manager’s door to guide his business.

“Never miss a deadline. That’s No. 1.”

— Maggie Rossiter Peterman