Business Matters
Karin Hopkins
Nick Dowdell has steadily grown since he founded Provision Contracting Services in 2010. A full-service construction company, Provision has developed a respectable track record. The company restored the Macon County Courthouse after parts of the building were damaged by fire several months ago. Current projects involve Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery as well as clients in Auburn and Pensacola, Florida. A disabled Army veteran, Dowdell worked for another construction company before he established Provision, working the first few years out of his home. For the last two years, he and his team worked in a cramped, one-room incubator office.
Grateful for the stepping-stone, he is now truly captain of his own ship. In 2016, he purchased a building in Tuskegee and waited one year before moving in. On October 30, 2017 that day finally arrived. He now has a new headquarters with 5,000 square feet of space. Though more time is needed for the full renovation, the Provision building marks a major milestone in the company’s journey. And since the Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce helped Nick grow from incubation to independence, it will be a moment of shared pride when the Chamber holds its next meeting there.
As is customary when we go off-site, we visited the building for a logistical assessment. First we saw the gorgeous custom-made receptionist desk that anchors the lobby. We peeked inside offices, some of them occupied by Provision project managers hard at work. Other offices that are now unfinished will eventually be rented to tenants who will get incubator support similar to what Nick experienced during his lean years. There is so much space it is subdivided—a planning room here, kitchenette there and a conference room where the Chamber meeting will convene.
Please note that since Thanksgiving is at the end of this month, we moved our meeting date up to the 3rd Monday in November. So, remember this—the Chamber will meet on Monday, November 20, 2017 at 6:30pm, 104 Torrence Road, off South Main, Tuskegee 36083. Do not use Google or Map Quest to get there. They will just send you on a wild goose chase concerning this address. Take South Main Street and look for a big, white house with a bale of hay out front. After you pass that house, turn right at the next corner onto Torrence Road. If you get to the Yellow Store, you have gone too far. After the meeting, we will be given a guided tour. Though this property represents progress, Nick’s dream is so much bigger. He wants to emulate Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, not necessarily in scale but definitely in sustainability. Nick says, “When I die, I want my business to live on and provide for my children, their children and many generations of our family.”
Let’s commend Nick Dowdell for infusing principled work ethics, self-empowerment and the hope for longevity into his BUSINESS MATTERS.
Karin Hopkins is executive director of the Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce and also co-founder of ECHOboom, a digital media platform. Contact her at ourchamberworks@gmail.com.
