Welcome back to Houston newsmakers and welcome to Trinity Dawson,
who has quite the story to tell. You are currently the co founder
president and CEO of integrated Utility Services.
Yes, sir. Good to see you this morning. Good to be here. Thanks so much for having,
what does your company do?
So integrating Utility Services is a full scale Integrated
Service Company to the energy industry.
Right now,
I would say that we are Stuart steel protection which is our first
acquisition that we had an opportunity to complete in January.
Ninth.
So I say right now I
I you as a steward still and Stewart still is I us and
in Stuart steel
is in the cathodic protection industry, where we primarily sell
all the materials around
CP which would be
a nodes
rectifiers and things along those lines. So we’re going
to have somebody come up with a dictionary.
I am 39 years old so how does somebody your age get
to do what you’re doing now?
Yes. So I
I I
started out as a football player that was my aspirations
as I went to a D1 school
in the MAC Conference at the University of Toledo. I started there for four
years
thought I’d be going to the NFL but you know, God had other
plans for me,
but ultimately I got my finance degree and with that degree
I ended up working in the energy industry
and with the company by the name of MRC Global, so that’s what kind of got me in
the energy space. So I was invited you here because this is Black History
Month, I want to talk about entrepreneurship.
Need to be taught and your story of Faith. Yes. And how God
has worked in your life. Starting with
how you’ve been able to reach this point, you’ll
be pictures of you as young kid in a
Bible study and
Sunday school with your family. Obviously, we just started with that family
and
coming out of Detroit. People would look at a
African-American guy coming out of Detroit, right off the bat. Yeah,
there would be an image. Well,
the chances of you being able to do much.
Yeah. You broke that mold you played football? You came to the
Houston.
What was some of the
the guy?
God motivating things in your life to help you to do on. Yeah. And we grew up
in what you would call one of those quintessential type stories as
far as being in Detroit living in poverty. And
one of the things that
that helped me was this place called Joy of Jesus. It was a guy who was
a GM
at
General Motors.
He was an executive at General Motors.
His name was Eddie Edwards, and he stepped out and into entrepreneurship
and ended up starting this community center.
And that was one of the places where
one of the first places where
Why I heard outside of my home that you don’t have to be a product of your
environment? You can
do anything if you put your mind to it, that God has purpose for
you
and in that I ultimately wanted to be an entrepreneur
and that’s kind of Full Circle, part of the reason why we’re doing what we’re doing now.
So what was the name of that organization, that Joe
the joy of Jesus? And so, do, you know, if that still isn’t enough?
It’s not an operation anymore, which is something that kind of
is a little bit heartbreaking, but it, but it’s had a
impact on my life. And I think that
with what we are doing,
With our business. We hope to continue to build on
the Legacy, the joy of Jesus left. So when you continue to do that, when
you look at what you’ve done up to this point,
your business is growing,
your faith has been good to you.
Do you can you look at that both from the standpoint of
success
generally
and success
by a black man?
Yeah I think you can. I think because
you know
the way that God has
created an in equip this
He’s put you in the skin that you’re in. He’s put me in the
skin of them in. So that
so that we could fulfill his purpose in the earth and I feel
like as,
as a black man, I think it gives me an opportunity
to be able to
go back and pour into our community just like Eddie
Edwards did
into me. And I’m very fortunate to
be working with some organizations
that
that are that have that same
heart. And
so, we’ll continue to push forward with how has
all of that helped you to be able to understand that
barriers will be placed in front of you,
how to navigate around those barriers to achieve, whatever success you’re looking
for in your business world and your world
personal. Yeah, for me, I mean, it’s one of those things that
nothing
is wasted with
God. And so, every situation, every circumstance
that
we encounter, it’s intended to build us up. And
so, as you
encounter, those barriers understand that
as you continue to move forward,
In trust and lean in
that ultimately is for your good. And so that’s what we’re
holding onto for somebody who may be thinking. Well, I don’t know what an
entrepreneur entrepreneur is. I don’t know if I want to do, what would you
tell them
that they need to have in order to be successful at least starting out
as an entrepreneur? Yeah, I think so. Number one you have to
have
hard work
and be willing to put in the work and even if it’s not your business
you should treat it like like it’s your business.
And I think the other part is is relationships and
And building relationships. I heard a civil rights leaders say one time that
excellence and achievement are important, but access and
inheritance is more important.
And so I think
you have to have the Excellence and you have to have the achievement. But you also
have to have the access which as
an entrepreneur myself, we hope to be able to
pass
the Baton to other folks and provide them access. Well I just want to
say congratulations to you so far. Thank you. Good luck
to
you for what’s ahead because I get this going to be a lot of great things going.
Going on. Thank you. So your company I know that you just acquired a company you want to acquire more.
I’m guessing yes sir. Yes sir. Very much and congratulations on the new baby
girl.
Thank
you. That’s two weeks ago.
That is the best you’re getting sleep. Are you
you know what? Actually last night we had to my wife had to wake her up
II was just
I had to wake her up and feed her so she sleeps really well. We
got
trained already. That’s right.
Congratulations, thank you so much.
I appreciate it.