The McKissack and McKissack Group Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The McKissack and McKissack Group Inc - Essay Example McKissack has worked on various civil developments, fresh water and wastewater projects and have examined hundreds of miles of pipelines. Business strategy of McKissack has always been based on long term basis. And records show that over the past 100 years, McKissack has acquired and retained hundreds of clients through their excellent business relationships and customer retention. And they have achieved this through broad management approach and forming and achieving concrete strategic objectives. McKissack is a close knitted business entity which administers each project from its seed stage to its completion, while overseeing all the operations. McKissack is always looking for projects in the market that require innovative yet pragmatic and affordable construction solutions and the reason that gives them the courage to take such bold steps is their experiencing of completing thousands of projects in the past 100 years. Teamwork, quality and commitment have always been the hallmark of their business strategy that enables them to grow as an outstanding industry. The legacy of McKissack dates back to over two centuries when Moses McKissack (a slave) became an expert builder after learning the craftsmanship from his owner William McKissack, who was among the first contractor in the US. Moses McKissack, before dying in 1865, passed on his knowledge of structure to his son Gabriel Moses, who did the same by teaching the skill to his two sons; Moses III (born 1879) and Calvin (born 1890). When Moses III believed that he was skilled enough to start his own construction business, he moved to Nashville in 1905. He received education in architecture and engineering and in a short time got commission for structuring the Carnegie Library at Fisk University, which was the first major structure designed by a black American in America. After that assignment, he got recognition which landed him many more contracts of various colleges in the South and some Middle Tennesseeâ₠¬â„¢s better-quality homes (Governor A.H. Robert’s mansion was among them). In 1912, Calvin and Moses were the first individuals who were registered under the new licensing law with the State of Tennessee. The McKissack brothers did not stop there and proceeded to make Tennessee’s first black designing and building firm in 1922. They received national recognition when the US Government paid them $5.7 million to construct an air base at Tuskegee in Alabama. To this day, this contract remains the largest construction contract given to a black firm by the federal government. Moses McKissack had six sons who went into education, architecture, construction and law. Moses was invited to the Whitehouse to discuss the issue of national housing problem because of his expertise in architecture and construction in housing projects. This occurred during the reign of President Franklin Roosevelt. Calvin became the president of the McKissack firm after the death of his brother Moses who was succeeded by Moses’ son, Williams in 1968. McKissack flourished under the leadership of Williams who held on to the innovative ideas of his father and brought much praise to McKissack’s design and construction. Williams retired in 1983 and his wife took over the firm as Chief Executive Officer. Since then, she has brought