I’ve spent the last year working alongside small contractors helping rebuild Altadena and Pacific Palisades after the January 2025 wildfires. I’ve seen firsthand the challenges they face, from securing contracts and managing cash flow to earning the trust of homeowners who have lost nearly everything.
My work is part of the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC), a national fellowship that places economic development professionals with organizations working to strengthen local economies. Through ERC, I joined The Center by Lendistry to support its contractor-focused climate resilience work.
For my capstone project, I interviewed 18 contractors and partners connected to The Center’s Contractors Accelerator for Climate Resilience. I wanted to understand how the program had influenced their businesses and what it takes for small contractors to become what I call anchored businesses: businesses rooted in their communities, creating jobs, building wealth, and contributing to the places they serve.
Three lessons stood out.
Relationships Lead to Contracts
Every builder in my research who had secured a signed contract described a peer, mentor, or partner who helped make it possible.
Brenda Sanchez, owner of B.A.S Construction, connected with fellow Contractors Accelerator participant Charles T. Bryant of Masbuild, who invited her to bid on an Altadena home rebuild. Brenda won the contract and broke ground in September.
One contractor described the value of these connections as “relationship capital, social capital, and network capital.” I kept thinking about how much of a contractor’s success depends on the people willing to open doors for them.
Business Readiness Matters as Much as Building Skills
The contractors I interviewed knew their trades. Many needed more support with the financial and operational demands of running a growing business.
Cash flow was a recurring concern. Contractors often have to cover payroll and materials before receiving payment. Others struggled with determining how much work their businesses could manage.
Herschel Kozasky of Shell Molly Construction told me the Contractors Accelerator changed how he approached his finances. He learned to separate office overhead from project expenses and better understand his costs. He is now working on more than $1.2 million in contracts.
Community Commitment Isn’t Enough
These contractors cared deeply about the communities where they worked. They wanted to hire local workers and support local small businesses. But many were still working to build the financial stability and business capacity needed to do those things.
Norman Romero of Macano Tech offered one example. He described making a deliberate effort to hire local workers and purchase materials from local suppliers. Since participating in the Contractors Accelerator, he has secured a $600,000 acquisition loan and is working on a $3.5 million project.
Lessons Beyond Los Angeles
The Contractors Accelerator’s Disaster Recovery Cohort graduated 26 local contractors, many of them BIPOC- and women-owned. As of September 2026, participating builders were working on 18 projects valued at approximately $10 million, including 13 home rebuilds in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Across the life of the program, graduates have secured $36 million in contracts.
The lessons from Los Angeles extend beyond disaster recovery. Communities across the country are investing in housing, infrastructure, and clean energy projects, but local contractors need support to compete for that work. As part of my ERC fellowship, I’ve helped launch the next evolution of the Contractors Accelerator for Climate Resilience, a free, fully online, self-paced program that builds on The Center’s years of experience and makes training and resources available to contractors nationwide.
As my fellowship comes to a close, I’m inspired by the determination and creativity of the contractors I’ve worked with. They’ve shown me what’s possible when they have the opportunity to grow and support one another.
Interested in growing your contracting business? Learn more about The Center’s free, fully online Contractors Accelerator for Climate Resilience and register today.
October 26, 2026