Ep. 104 - Teaera Strum is the COO of Strum Contracting in Baltimore city. She was selected as the Baltimore Business Journal's Baltimore 40 under 40 in 2019. She was recognized for her business and civic accruement that she has contributed to in Baltimore city. At just the age of 36, Teaera has accomplished much including substantially growing Strum Contracting with the knowledge she acquired from the many professional development programs and trainings she participated in and learned from. Teaera also credits the Coalition of 100 Black Women as having contributed to preparing her with business negotiation skills.
Top Takeaways:
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- The importance of participating in professional development programs and trainings in helping you grow your business
- The importance of preparing COOs and vice presidents of small businesses and family-owned businesses for succession planning
- The value and impact of small businesses in the American economy as the largest employer
- How to volunteer your time personally or as a business to the less fortunate through organizations
- Changing the climate with the offshore wind as a source of clean renewable energy
- Learning to plan your work and work your plan to achieve your dreams even when they seem bigger and unachievable
Learn how you can achieve your goals as a young woman by dreaming and working towards achieving those dreams.
" Always plan your work and work your plan." -Teaera R. Strum
Teaera secured a business opportunity that could take her company's annual revenue from $5 million to $30 million by the time it has reached full size. She saw a chance for Strum Contracting Co. to get involved in Maryland's burgeoning offshore wind industry and grew those partnerships into contracts over the course of five years.
She still finds time to give back. She is vice-chair of the Jane Addams Resource Corp.'s national board in Chicago, a job training program that has also yielded employees for her own company. She also volunteers regularly with Blatimore nonprofit Our Daily Bread.
Listen in to learn how offshore wind is going to change the renewable energy sector in the USA and contribute to climate change.
Key Moments:
Teaera talks about her selection in 2019 Baltimore Business Journal 40 under 40 as a recognition of her civic and business accruement in Baltimore city [1:49]
How participating in professional development programs and trainings contributed to Teaera growing her father's company substantially [2:58]
How she was admitted into the Goldman Sachs CEO program as a non-CEO as part of the succession planning program [6:23]
Why small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and need to be supported [7:56]
The value that Strum Contracting is offering to their local community [12:59]
Finding time to volunteer and forming that culture in your business [15:57]
The meaning of offshore wind and the opportunities it is presenting for communities and companies such as Strum Contracting [18:12]
Understanding clean energy from offshore wind as an alternative source of energy plus other states who do not have offshore wind projects along the eastern seacoast [22:39]
She talks about her passion in public policy, her involvement with the Coalition of 100 Black Women, and a recent passion for boating [25:47]
Teaera's advice to young women going after their dreams and her desire to leave behind a legacy [29:22]
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