SBA SUCCESS STORY
JOY ANDERSON, PRESIDENT
JRA & ASSOCIATES CONTRACTING, LLC
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She Builds Success
Joy Anderson began her career as a secretary in the basement office of a small business that performed commercial plumbing and heating services. She would go on to become an experienced construction estimator and project manager. In 2007, Joy applied what she had learned from her previous jobs in the same industry to open a construction services firm, one that focused on mechanical/general contracting and construction/project management. Starting as 90% owner of the company, she bought out the remaining 10% stake from her partner a couple of years into the business. As the sole owner and President of JRA & Associates Contracting, how could Joy provide more than just a solid foundation for her company? How would she actually grow her firm to realize its potential??
The SBA has been beneficial to Joy and her company in several ways. Her first working line of credit was issued as an SBA-backed loan product. When it comes to generating business, federal certifications help eligible firms qualify for federal set-aside contracting opportunities. JRA & Associates is certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB). The SBA operates such programs to help level the playing field for minority-owned and women-owned small businesses. Ms. Anderson is also a December 2021 graduate of the SBA?s 8(a) Business Development Program. In addition, Joy is a 2014 alumna of the SBA?s Emerging Leaders Initiative, which she credits not only for teaching her how to better understand and read financial reports but also for developing a sales pipeline to run her business more effectively and efficiently. What?s more, the 7(j) training Joy received in capture management taught her how to chase down sales prospects. ?Sales is not my strong suit,? she admits.
Today, Joy Anderson leads one of the Washington Metropolitan Area?s premier, minority-and-woman-owned construction firms serving the federal, state, and commercial markets. Through SBA?s help and her determination, Joy has successfully taken her firm from a $47,000 operation in 2008 to a company that now employs 20 full-time workers and has generated sales of $9.9 million in 2021.?
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