Starting a business of your own takes dedication and perseverance toward your goals. According to Brian Taylor, CEO of Operations for Summit Building Services here in Battle Creek, “It’s important to have a passion for the dream you are chasing.”
Taylor has been a part of this company since 1998, and has worked his way into the CEO position after 25 years of experience in the construction field.
Taylor was born and raised in Battle Creek and has worked on various projects around the city for the past several years. He is familiar with all things building and blueprinting, and loves to see his projects come to life. He graduated with his business degree from Ferris State University in 1995 and shortly after started a family of his own. He has put his skills and efforts to work in all aspects as he learned the construction field and art of building, and got his name out around town as a reliable, fair and trustworthy man who was available to do just about any type of work related to building.
Despite obstacles that all business and entrepreneurs have, he pushed to educate himself and get himself in a position to where he was able to expand his team to more than just a few members, as well as how many jobs they could take on. After a few years of small local work, he started to find the company succeeding and able to support not only his family, but his employees as well.
Taylor states that he has learned many lifelong skills in the construction field that he uses daily. He talks about learning these skills and trades from his father, who was also a handyman and could fix just about anything. Creating a company that families can depend on time and time again was something that always made sense to Taylor.
After having a son of his own and being able to share his profession and passion for building, his son also learned to gain some of these same qualities. It was then that Taylor found shared skills and interests with his son, the same skills he shared with his own dad. He knew that one day he would want to share this business and skillset with this only son, Brody Taylor, and give him the chance to have his own niche somewhere in the company as well.
After graduating high school, Brody Taylor showed interest in becoming a part of the family business and learning the field as his dad once did.
“I’ve wanted to go into the construction business since I realized all the great skills my dad has because of it,” Brody Taylor said. “He has been able to build houses for his family, fix cars, plumbing, electrical, lay flooring, and just about anything under the sun. He is the definition of a handyman, and I think that’s a great skill to have in life.”
While Brody Taylor, now site supervisor at Summit Building, was given a great role model to look up to, he learned that it is possible to create something and make it your own. He has worked for Summit for three years now and has gained loads of knowledge to guide him forward. In the next five to 10 years, Brody Taylor hopes to work commercially for the company, and expand the business to industrial and commercial. He wants to be able to cover all aspects.
The easy parts of creating a company boil down to registering as a business and creating a name. Just about anybody can do that part. When it actually comes down to putting in the hours and running yourself ragged some days is where the real struggles lie. Being a business owner can be difficult in many ways, but it is also so rewarding to see your hard work and skills pay off. No dream is too big to dream, and nothing is too hard to learn. With the right amount of effort and time, things will come together. Trust the process.
