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Photo credit: Carlos Sanchez
Authenticity: LaShawn Stewart-Baylor President and CEO of Integrated CM Solutions (San Antonio, TX), a program/construction management firm that’s had more than $800 million worth of projects since 2015.
By LUKE CAROTHERS Correspondent
A long-time resident of San Antonio, Stewart-Baylor graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in communications. Following graduation, she spent a few years working for a construction management company before founding Integrated CM Solutions as a project management firm in 2015. Stewart-Baylor uses her competitive nature to guide her small business to new heights each day. ICMS currently operates as a sub-consultant on most of its projects, but this doesn’t stop Stewart-Baylor from thinking big; she wants to make the firm prime as it continues to grow. A CONVERSATION WITH LASHAWN STEWART-BAYLOR. The Zweig Letter: What do you see as the “cost” of ignoring or downplaying the impact of racism in our industry? What are we missing out on by failing to dismantle these barriers? LaShawn Stewart-Baylor: It took me some time to decide if this interview was something I wanted to do for fear that barriers would be set for my company because I
spoke about things that no one wants to hear or even say. That is the “cost.” The idea that speaking about everyday experiences and bringing them to light could cause me to lose the very thing that I am the most passionate about is really sad. But I realized that if I don’t do it now, when will I do it? I also recognize that I do have a lot of great clients, colleagues, and potential partners who want to hear what I have to say so that they can make changes and look at things from a different perspective. It is important that we stop ignoring and start working toward making changes for the new generation of AEC professionals. It is also important to humanize the barriers so that the real work can begin. If not, how do we explain that we had an opportunity but chose not to take it? How do we grow as a community of leaders? TZL: You’ve built an incredible business in five years – more than $800 million in projects during that time. What has been your business development strategy in growing ICMS? LSB: As a small business, your livelihood sometimes varies from day to day, so with my business strategy I
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