Construction and commercial janitorial services may be a male-dominated industry, but Shandra Spicer is setting out to change that.

"If ever there was an industry that is a man's world, it is construction," says Spicer, president and CEO of S&W Contracting of Western New York Inc. "There are a lot of people who start a construction company because they're good with their hands. That's not me. I'm good at running a business."

Not that Spicer is afraid to get her hands dirty. Spicer and her parents started the company by painting and cleaning apartments for turnover. Over time, she started offering minor repairs and, eventually, major rehab projects for units that had been destroyed. She then started marketing her services to local agencies, which led to bidding on federal contract work.

The middle child of five and a self-professed "daddy's girl," Spicer always knew she would follow a nonconventional career path. "I knew some things about myself when I left high school," Spicer says. "I knew I wouldn't focus on school and didn't want to be a broke college student." After graduation, she went to work at her father's newly formed lead and asbestos abatement company, which he had started with partners.

However, not long after Spicer went to work for the company, it closed. Spicer and her father then teamed up to start a new company. But soon after forming the partnership in 1999, Spicer's father—who had been left with debt from his previous partnership—declared personal bankruptcy. For the good of S&W Contracting, he stepped aside. "I learned a lot of lessons from my father's experiences, the biggest being don't have partners," she says.

Spicer forged ahead, bringing her mother on board to help with the workload, including making cold calls and compiling marketing materials to drum up new business. Spicer recalls that it was a tough time. "My mom and I did the cleaning and had one employee who did the painting." By 2001, the company began working with the Small Business Administration, achieving certification through its 8(a) program, a training and development program for minority business owners. That opened the door to contracts with federal government agencies.

Today, S&W has grown from 3 employees and $29,000 in revenue to 28 employees and $1.8 million in revenue. Spicer says her success comes from her strong moral upbringing and listening to her instincts. "I made a lot of choices that seemed like I was missing a great opportunity and making the company grow slowly. Your judgment of success shouldn't be based on what others do but on what you do. I can't say that I'm the highest revenue company around, but I know my success has been organic and true."

To share your story, e-mail Greg Galdabini at ggaldabi@uschamber.com.

Member Facts:
Company: S&W Contracting of WNY Inc.
President and CEO: Shandra Spicer
Email Address: http://www.sw-contracting.com/content/pages/contact-us
Address: 701 Seneca St., Suite 303, Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: 716-803-1167
Website: www.sw-contracting.com
Chamber Member since: 2011
Founded: 1999
Number of Employees: 28