An interview with Tampa Bay Business Journal
Why Rebecca is a big deal: Smith founded the A.D. Morgan Corp., a construction services firm named after her two golden retrievers that has grossed more than $400 million in more than 25 years. A relentlessly positive person, she has been active as a leader in countless Tampa Bay and state boards and civic organizations. She was recently reappointed to the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority’s board as chairwoman. She got her start in architecture but evolved into construction management, and eventually her doctorate in business. Now she and her team have launched a spin-off facilities management company, Woofgang Solutions.
Given the cycles in your industry, where are we now? Coming out of the last extended cycle, my biggest fear was there was no potential end to the cycle as it started going down. A lot of great construction companies have either left the area or have gone out of business, and I specifically have a soft spot for individually owned companies and making sure we find our way and have support in the community on the purchasing side. Ahead, things are on the upswing. It is still not restored. Residential came back much more quickly than our marketplace which is more schools, universities, parking garages and projects for municipalities.
How did your career evolve from an initial design focus? Studying architecture in college and working for architects, I realized my passion for design existed but I was interested in looking at a different career path relative to the curriculum. I literally went across the sidewalk to construction and started talking to them about their program and it became this marriage of what i knew in design to, “How do we make this design stand up?” I started studying construction and found my niche in life. It has been a phenomenal experience.
-Alexis Muellner