‘Ground Pounder’ uses lessons learned in Vietnam to build multi-million dollar construction company.
 

In 1969, Glen Brown spent four and a half months as a "ground pounder" with the 101st Airborne Division in the A Shau Valley in Vietnam. Brown, president of Glen/Mar Construction Inc., left Vietnam with a Purple Heart and the realization of the importance of teamwork.

"You come to rely on your buddies," Brown said of his time in the military as well as in his experience in business. "We do the same thing. You surround yourself with people you can rely on daily. Knowing that person, a lot of times you don’t even need to speak to them because you know what their answer is. I’d like to think that we watch out for each other. I think they have my best interest at heart and I certainly have their’s."

After leaving the Army in 1971, Brown spent a number of years working as a drywaller and a drywall subcontractor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1977 from the University of Colorado. He moved to Oregon with his wife, who was a school teacher from Colorado.

"I moved out here to give it a second chance with my brother, which of course didn’t work," Brown said of his first two failed entrepreneurial endeavors. "I had never really worked for anybody most of my life, so it really wasn’t a question. I just went into business for myself."

The only capital Brown could muster during the turbulent economic times gripping the country in the early 1980s was a credit card with a $2,000 limit and a $1,500 loan from a friend.

Originally, the company was called Glen and Mary Brown and officially opened for business in 1980.

The company started out as an independent subcontractor, but in 1985 it was incorporated under the current name, Glen/Mar Construction, as a general contractor. The bulk of Glen/Mar’s original contracts were residential, but then it began to land some lucrative commercial contracts from government agencies.

"The jobs began to get a little bigger and a little better," Brown said. "I sold two subdivisions I was building in and I switched over in 2003 to take advantage of the service disabled program. It’s taken four years, but now we can say we are federal contractors."

Glen/Mar’s clients include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. In 2008, Glen/Mar completed a $10 million addition to the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore., for the Department of Veteran Affairs.

"We’re very proud of that," Brown said. "At the time that project came out, there wasn’t very much coming out for service disabled at all. So it was a stretch for us of course with the dollar volume. We had four other veterans bid against us and we were eventually judged the most responsible low-bidder. It was a very successful project for us and for the VA."

Brown provided some lessons he’s learned over the 28 years in business.

"Start with enough money to complete the course," Brown said. "Bond companies want to see you retain your earnings and build your company. Most people tend to spend more money as they earn more money. You’ve got to separate your business from your life. You’ve got to build up cash, build up credibility and build up experience. It’s a never-ending process."

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