Family-Owned Firm Builds Legacy on Time‑Honored Ideologies
Portland-based Colas Construction Inc. is fast becoming one of Oregon’s top rising general contractors, thanks in large part to the traditional values instilled by its Founder, Hermann Colas Jr.
Beyond profit, growth or even industry recognition, Hermann believes his company’s long-term success, his legacy, is dependent on every employee buying into hard work, character and community—values that he has lived by all of his life.
It’s taken some time for these principles to come to fruition, but his company is succeeding beyond even his high expectations. In the last few years, Colas Construction has grown from 15 people to around 40 and has tripled its annual revenue over the last six years. Hermann’s story and the evolution of his company, through good and bad times, personifies the American Dream.
A Patriot & Entrepreneur
Hermann was born in Haiti, the eldest of eight children. He moved to the U.S. when he was 21 at his mother’s insistence. As a young man, he was an outspoken critic about the Haitian political system and she feared for his life. He moved to New York, enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 22 and, four years later, became a U.S. citizen.
During his service, he met his soon-to-be wife and by 1974 moved to Portland where he went back to school. He graduated in 1977 from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree and with honors in mathematics and computer science.
After graduation, he joined Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (now CenturyLink Inc. after a series of acquisitions and mergers) where he worked for 20 years managing budgets for equipment planning and deployment. In his off time, he invested in real estate, buying and renovating rental properties—a venture that gave him ample opportunity to use his craft skills and opened doors to other opportunities in the construction industry.
When the telephone company offered him a promotion that required a move to another state, Hermann decided it was time to fulfill his dream of starting a company of his own.
He recalls, “Family businesses helped lead this country to greatness. I wanted to be part of that
tradition by starting a family-owned business that I could pass down to my children and my children’s children. Construction is one of those perfect professions that allow someone to turn an idea into reality.”
He formed Colas Construction, a general construction firm, on June 3, 1997. Hermann used his contacts gained while managing his real estate properties to establish his company’s first projects. In fact, he developed and self-financed all of his initial endeavors. Then he got his kids involved.
If you Build it…
The Colas kids, Aneshka, Andrew and Alexander, say that their father made his rental property business a part of all family discussions as far back as they can remember.
Aneshka Colas-Dickson, now VP and CFO of Colas Construction, joined the company in June 1998 as an office assistant who worked during summer breaks from college. Once she earned her degree in accounting-business administration from the University of Oregon in June 2000, she joined the company full-time as the Office Manager.
Her younger brother, Andrew, now President and COO, formally joined the company in June 1999—but was also part of the “dream” long before. Andrew says, “As soon as I was old enough, my father would throw me onto the framing crew or make me part of the excavation team. He really wanted me to see firsthand how structures come together. He also thought it was important that I establish relationships with the building community.” As part of his introduction to the industry, Hermann and Andrew would visit various jobsites around Portland.
“My father would always ask me to name the construction companies that were working in our community,” recalls Andrew. “He would tell me, ‘If you don’t learn about your competition, you’ll never compete with them.’ To this day, I drive through Portland looking to see which contractors are building projects in our area.”
Upon completion of his degree from the University of Oregon, Andrew started working full-time at Colas Construction as a Project Manager. Today, he leads the business development and operations teams, utilizing his experience in the field to spearhead the redevelopment of project delivery, fiscal, estimating, safety and project supervision programs.
The youngest Colas son, Alexander or “Alex,” also joined the company full-time when he graduated from Portland State University in the fall of 2012. Alex now leads the special projects division of the general contractor firm.
Hermann realizes that he’s fortunate to have children who love construction as much or more than he does—a love that would be tested during difficult times, including the Great Recession during the late 2000s, which hit the company very hard.
Reflecting on the recession, Aneshka says, “We had to make a decision about whether to continue on. But we strongly believed that our grit, teamwork and work ethic would get us through those difficult times.”
She was right. Through strong relationships with community developers, Colas Construction has significantly grown its reputation in the Portland area.
Valued Partners
The company’s construction portfolio now includes commercial and mixed-use projects, both new and renovated structures. The company is particularly well known in the affordable housing market and in education sectors, particularly for its work with the University of Oregon and the Portland Public Schools. Notably, the company just won a $90 million commercial project to modernize the Ulysses S. Grant High School in Portland, the largest high school in the Portland Public School district.
The Colas team especially likes working for organizations that embody similar value systems. They are very proud of the affordable housing projects they’ve worked on for groups such as the Portland Community ReinvestmentInitiatives (PCRI), a nonprofit organization focused on helping low-income families find stability, and Central City Concern, a nonprofit established to help families with health care, living arrangements and employment. Aneshka says, “Because of the hard times, we still celebrate every job we win. We always want to reflect on the difficult times and remember where we came from—and the grit and drive that helped us get where we are today.”
While growth and revenue are important, Hermann believes that the most important value of any company should be a responsibility to community.
Engage and Educate
Hermann has always found ways to stay involved with the community by joining organizations such as PCRI and the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC).
But perhaps his greatest opportunity to make a difference came following the devastating Haitian earthquake in 2010. “Knowing that I’m from Haiti and still have family there, many of our neighbors, friends and colleagues asked how to best assist in the relief and recovery efforts in Haiti,” says Hermann.
Soon after, Hermann—working with The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF)—started the Colas Foundation Fund. Through OCF, 100 percent of donations to the foundation fund went to a selection of carefully considered nonprofit organizations that are committed to Haiti’s relief. Over the course of three months, the Colas Foundation Fund raised over $65,000.
Colas Construction’s demonstration of its commitment to community inspires its employees, especially Aneshka, Andrew and Alex, to also get involved by volunteering and mentoring.
Specifically, the three Colas children have chosen to focus on youth development in the Portland metro area. They frequently partner with local nonprofits to facilitate opportunities for young people to job-shadow Colas Construction staff, ranging from trade workers to project managers. They also host job tours as a way to introduce young people to the diversity of the industry.
“So many young people don’t realize all the opportunities that are available in the building industry,” says Alex. “Through our programs and partnerships, we are able to introduce them to the trades, engineers, estimators, project managers, etc. We believe we have a big responsibility in our community to grow the construction business and demonstrate positive leadership for young people.”
Andrew agrees and believes that engaging young people will help grow the industry, the company and the community in positive ways. He says, “The biggest compliment I can get is to walk onto a jobsite and have an individual tell me how much they like working for Colas Construction because we’re a good company.”
In fact, Andrew and his siblings still meet every new employee hired into the company. He explains, “Our goal is to build a company that provides a good living to the people on our team, and to maintain a value system that’s expressed through words and action by every member of our team.” For Hermann, the energy and excitement around the company stemming from his children’s efforts gives him the greatest pride. He firmly believes that Colas Construction will one day compete with all the “big dogs” in the industry.
Andrew confirms, “My father gave us the vision and the tools. Now it’s up to us to get there.”
The Colas Construction team is well on its way to achieving the Founder’s dream.