Originally Published as: Scholarship Helps Young Entrepreneur 22-Year Old Co-Owns Successful Construction Business
As a result of a collaboration with mikeroweWORKS Foundation (www.mikeroweworks.org), Rural Builder is featuring profiles of Work Ethic Scholarship recipients in each of its issues. Over 2,000 scholarships have been awarded to trade-school students who value hard work and taking personal responsibility. Rural Builder applauds these students and wants to acknowledge their choice to apply their talents to skilled trades. Thank you, mikeroweWORKS Foundation, for your continuing efforts to close the skills gap and “reconnect the average American with the value of a skilled workforce.”
Many people underestimate just how much intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving go into building something with your own hands. Those who work in the trades often combine technical know-how with business sense and determination. Noah Dunkley is a great example of that balance—skilled, driven, and proud to build a career doing what he loves.
Working Hard
Noah was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, by hard-working parents; he followed their example. In his junior year of high school he found that he loved working with his hands, so he left his college-prep high school to enroll in a trades high school. He worked at his new vocation through his junior year, summer, and his senior year.
After high school, Noah was doing an apprenticeship at a home repair company, working at Dunkley Brothers Construction on the weekends, while pulling a 4.0 GPA at college.
A White Collar Family
The Dunkley brothers’ mother is a principal at a grade school and his father runs an architectural firm. However, when two of their sons decided they wanted careers in construction, definitely a Blue Collar choice, they were supportive.
“We were super fortunate to have such great parents,” Noah said. “They let us choose.”
Construction is in line with their father’s vocation, so he was able to give tips and advice on the work, too.
Traveling the path
Noah attended the local trade school, Cincinnati State. He loved the classes and expanded his knowledge as his instructor gave him increasingly challenging projects to work on. The program also taught him about running a construction business, which was especially helpful because Noah and Brennan wanted to start their own company right away—they didn’t want to wait. Still, Noah wondered how it would work. He was in college and needed to earn tuition money—would their new company bring in enough for that?
Then Noah remembered that his uncle had told him about a scholarship he should apply for.
A Scholarship From the MIKEROWEWORKS Foundation
Noah liked the application process; he felt like it was challenging him, asking: Who are you? Who do you want to be?
He put in his application and when he received the scholarship it was a weight off his shoulders. He could take the risk and not have to forestall his and Brennan’s dream because college was paid for. So, he happily went on pursuing his dream. He was learning more and more in college and at 18 he and his 20-year-old partner started their own construction business.
Building the Business
At first, the brothers took on any job they could get, mostly small jobs. However, when a builder backed out of a job, their dad passed the work on to Noah and Brennan. It was a remodel of a friend’s home, and for their dad, it was a small job. For Noah and Brennan it was a big job and they put their all into it. It turned out well and got their name out there. After that they added a couple of employees.
The company has grown faster than the brothers expected. They have been working in the residential market, doing everything from small remodels to building the whole house.
They have great relationships with various trades people, and now they are taking the next step and offering general contracting so customers can rest assured that the planning, coordination, and oversight are all in good hands.
A New Generation of Builders
While building up their business is fun, it’s also a lot of hard work. However, that’s not a challenge for this crew. Noah said the real challenge has been getting people to take them seriously. They started the business when they were just barely adults, and even now, Brennan is the oldest person in the company at 25.
“We take this work very seriously; it is important and we treat it as such. Everyone in our company is courteous, professional and in uniform. The goal is perfection,” Noah said.
“The best parts of this work are the relationships we get to make with the customers,” Noah explained. “We want to know who they are and what they love so we can incorporate it into the project.”
Noah pointed to their current 2,000-square-foot renovation project as an example. The crew selected walnut wood for the customers’ laundry room, which the homeowners loved. Now, Noah and his team are using the leftover scraps to make matching walnut cutting boards for the kitchen.
“We like this kind of detail,” he said. “It’s something we can present as a gift for them allowing us into their homes and lives.”
Goals
These ambitious brothers have a big goal. They want to keep learning, growing as a team, developing more relationships, and taking on larger and larger projects as they grow. Within five to ten years, they want to be one of the top general contractors in Cincinnati.
