Protected Development
If the Myers family can't beat 'em, they won't just join 'em — the parent-son team of developers will find a way to do it better. This time around, environmental impact surveying and consulting is the primary target of a new branch of business spearheaded by Clinton Myers; his mother, Janelle Myers; and local jack-of-all-trades George Visger. The three have teamed up to launch Myers Construction Solutions Inc., a development company that also handles environmental impact mitigation.
Rather than hiring one company to plan and develop a project or community and another company to study and address the environmental impacts of construction, Clint Myers says his company can do it all, saving time, eliminating redundancy and avoiding mistakes. "This all started with the increase in environmental regulations... and anticipation of the stimulus money to be spent on public and private construction projects. We saw it as an opportunity in one of the few growing industries in California right now," Myers says. "Our goal is to work with developers and agencies to come up with a solution that protects the species but in an economic fashion."
The Myers found a perfect partner in Visger, former proprietor of Visger & Associates. Visger, a longtime friend of the family patriarch, C.C. Myers, provided extensive environmental consulting for C.C. Myers Inc. development projects in the past. In 1990, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System went into effect to control water pollution by regulating storm water runoff from construction sites. California's NPDES permit has long been out of compliance but would be updated by the end of this year, at which time further restrictions are anticipated.
These and other related laws are growing stricter by the year, and most, such as the NPDES, are driven by the Clean Water Act of 1972. For years that federal rule focused on point-source discharges such as pipes spewing waste from a factory, but as those trouble spots came into compliance, the government tightened its scope so that developers were in the cross hairs. "You can’t even have muddy water or nonvisable pollution leave your site. It is incredibly costly to build nowadays and stay in compliance. It's amazing how expensive this can get,' says Visger, a biologist, contractor and consultant. "I've had projects where we have spent over $100,000 per month just on erosion and sediment controls." The actual cost to survey for the animal or plant isn't necessarily that expensive. What's expensive is when you have to mitigate for them, Myers says. The need to transplant flora or modify a project's plan can cut deeply into a developer's bottom line. Minimizing both the environmental and fiscal impacts is what the Myers and Visger hope to do with Myers Construction Solutions.
"We can do it all; that's the thing. We can do the developing and the environmental work. We can bid it all," Visger says. "Myers has all the equipment and the plans, and I know how to do the rest of it. While we’re building, we're creating habitat and recharging groundwater supplies." Myers Construction Solutions has prepared migratory bird and bat protection plans for several Northern California transportation projects, including the Lincoln Bypass in Placer County. The company is also engaged in a 200,000-acre migration and restoration project with private landowners. "There are ways to do this, and everybody thinks it's either or: Either you make money or you save the environment," Visger says. "Sometimes the pendulum swings too far. We need development, but at the same time, we need to do it in a manner that we are taking care of resources. It can be done, but it’s hard to get people to understand that."
To get the jobs done, the trio will contract out to semi-retired development pros looking to consult on a project basis. By having development and environmental controls under one roof, Myers says projects can be run more efficiently and with faster reaction time because construction and environmental planners will be on the same page from the start. "We could offer those services without increasing our overhead," Myers says. "They're retired, and they don't necessarily need a steady flow of income." The strategy aligns well with the rest of the company's business model, which is low-cost and self-funded. The Myers put out a capital investment of $25,000 pro-rated on an ownership that is 60 percent Janelle's. She also loaned the company an additional $30,000. "We anticipate needing more capital as the company grows, and we see that coming from additional loans from me and my mother or outside investors," Myers says. The company is now a certified small business and has applied for woman-owned business status. "She wants to get out and start working a little bit. She has done some work with women-owned businesses already, so we thought it would be a good fit," says Myers of his mother. "She will handle every major decision, financial or otherwise."
If the company needs more capital, it would likely come from the Myers' pockets. "We anticipate needing another $500,000 or so in capital, and that will cover additional equipment and a company vehicle. But more importantly, it’s going to be hiring people," says Myers, who anticipates he'll turn a profit by the first part of 2010.
