Building a Legacy

A North Carolina mother-daughter duo are headliners in this year’s Fireside Chat at the Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week.  

GLORIA CARNEY SHEALEY and her daughter, AISHA SARFO, also joined by University of North Carolina Wilmington administrator SHERI SHAW, will present at the October 11 event called “Building and Leaving a Legacy.”  

Shealey and Sarfo will speak about the ins and outs of owning and operating The Daniele Company, a family and woman-owned general contracting business, and their story of overcoming hardships to create a success.  

WILMA spoke to the pair about their entrepreneurial journey.

Dr. Shealey, what led you to build a general contracting business? How long were you in business before your daughter got involved? 

Shealey: “My experience over ten years as vice president and team leader in the real estate division of a major money center bank in Chicago, where we financed developers, was the inspiration and catalyst to become both a developer and general contractor. My banking career in real estate finance provided the foundation for understanding the finance side of construction, the technical mechanics, including reading blueprints, construction administration and the legalese of negotiating, structuring, and documenting the business deal. I believed that if I had to sign off on the monthly pay applications, I needed to personally have subject-matter expertise and did the work. Besides, I got the ‘bug,’ so construction became a passion to embark on this entrepreneurial journey. 

It was more than 25 years before my daughter joined the company, but keep in mind that the business was started when she was just one year old.” 

Dr. Sarfo, what led you to join your mother’s company? 

Sarfo: “I decided to join the company because I saw and experienced firsthand my mother’s efforts to build a business from scratch twice.  

The sacrifices she made urged me to ensure that her company would continue beyond her. In addition to that, once I gained firsthand experience working on projects, I learned that I liked the work and could be successful at it. 

I do not have formal training in general contracting or construction management, although, being around it all my life, I picked up a few things like reading plans. While there are many degree programs these days for construction management, a lot of the skill and knowledge acquisition comes from being on the ground working on a project.  

That is not to minimize the technical abilities of the trades; it takes years to master most elements of construction and, unfortunately, the industry is losing a lot of talent due to aging workers and a lack of younger skilled workers.” 

How do your advanced degrees help with day-to-day business? 

Shealey: “Since this is a people business, my daughter’s doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis (psychology) is most valuable in engaging our team members from a productivity and value perspective. My doctorate in Values Driven Leadership (business) enhances my role as the strategic visionary in planning and execution, and developing the core team of high-performing leaders.” 

What type of work do you do? Any specialties? 

Sarfo: “We are commercial builders that work across industry sectors including K-12, higher education, health/life sciences, manufacturing, municipal, and ecumenical. A large portion of our portfolio is K-12 and higher education, which I think speaks to our tagline ‘Building Visions…Transforming Lives.’  

These types of buildings shape communities and create foundations for the evolution of neighborhoods and regions. So, I like to think of our specialty as enhancing environments for growth, learning and access.” 

What is it like working with your family? 

Shealey: “Intergenerational leadership has its benefits but also requires you to engage differences in approach, ideas and thoughts, which sometimes can be a delicate balance. My daughter and I represent two different generations, although we complement each other. … We’ve learned to listen to each other as well as respectfully check each other and when to agree or agree to disagree without residue which is an important balance.” 

Sarfo: “Working with my family has its pros and cons. It can be hard to leave work at the office, especially when you work from home with your business partner. Taking time off together can also be challenging, and then you just have the familiarity of and personalities that come through in a different way even while you try to maintain professionalism. That being said, I think it is a great experience to build a legacy with your family to be able to provide opportunities and pathways to success, advancement and access which, unfortunately, can still be a challenge for many African Americans.” 

Info about Cape Fear MED week events: cfmedweek.com. 

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