Minority/Women Business Enterprise 2020 Annual Report

Being Seen, Heard and Respected are Key to Business Success

In 2005, Niveen Kattan Hanna was a young owner of a new general contracting company, Atlantic Contracting Company Inc., nervous about going through the certification process of being designated a minority-, woman-owned business (MWBE). But the encouragement and motivation she received from more established peers statewide are something she will never forget. “They taught me the importance of being seen, being heard and being acknowledged,” she says, adding that then you have to prove yourself. “You have to be ready, willing and able to do a job according to specs, on time and within budget.” Since then, Atlantic Contracting has consistently done just that, being awarded City, state and federal general contracting jobs. For the City, she works often with the Engineering and Inspections Department, currently on two large improvement projects: Battleground Avenue and Westridge Road and Pisgah Church Road-Lees Chapel Road and Yanceyville Street. “Being a business owner is challenging. It’s a balancing act,” Hanna says. “It’s a cliché but you have to work on the business, not just in the business.” Through “trial and error,” she learned the importance of having a qualified, well-trained, diverse staff; listening to and respecting employees; providing leadership opportunities; and championing open communications.

“In today’s world, we have to make every effort to keep asking what’s working, what’s not, and then adjust accordingly.”

Every Monday morning, the entire staff gets together (virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic) to discuss the week’s jobs, assignments and materials needed. “We literally make an effort to ask what’s working, what’s not and then we adjust,” says Hanna. “And we really feel it if we miss a Monday meeting.” The most rewarding part of running a business, Hanna says, is knowing Atlantic Contracting is providing people a good living, a chance to take care of their families, have health insurance, and a 401K plan. “We strive to do what’s in the best interest of the company’s employees, our community and society.”

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