UBR Spotlight: Second Generation Construction Mogul Mamon Powers Jr.

This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR Contributor Renita D. Young talks with Mamon Powers Jr., the president and CEO of Gary, Indiana-based Powers & Sons Construction Co. Inc., one of the nation’s largest Black-owned businesses. With 2011 revenues of more than $39 million, Powers & Sons is ranked No. 70 on the Black Enterprise 100s list of the nation’s largest Black-owned industrial/service companies.

Hard work, commitment and focus is a tradition of the Powers family. In 1957, Powers & Sons Construction was founded by Mamon Powers Sr. After serving as the company’s treasurer, Mamon Powers Jr. is continuing his father’s legacy as president and CEO. Today, Powers & Sons specializes in commercial, industrial and institutional construction projects. With offices in Gary and Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as Chicago, Powers & Sons has a deep list of clients.

Also, UBR Contributor Samantha Pass talks with Gil Michel about private equity. Michel is the CEO and president of the Caleb Group Inc., a small business solutions firm in South Bend, Indiana, and the parent company of BlackMoneyMatters.com, an online financial education resource for the Black community. Michel’s experience ranges from working at large CPA firms to working one-on-one with small business owners to develop realistic strategies to create wealth for their families.

In my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, I share advice from Black Enterprise Tech Editor Marcia Wade Talbert on the importance of entrepreneurs developing a technology plan for their business. This goes beyond social media, to data storage and security and customer resource management.

And finally, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.

If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.

SAVE THE DATE for the 2013 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide, May 15-18, at Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Expect innovative sessions, high-powered speakers, and an early peek at the products, trends, and services you’ll need to stay ahead of the curve. Nominate your company or an outstanding entrepreneur in your network for our Small Business Awards! Also don’t miss the chance to enter our Elevator Pitch Competition to compete for $10,000 for your business. To find out more, visit www.blackenterprise.com/ec/