MWDBE SPOTLIGHT: Meet Garrett Dennis
Owner of Shifting Gears LLC
ABOUT SHIFTING GEARS
- Year established: 2006
- Location: Jacksonville, Gainesville & Tampa, FL
- Number of employees: 4
- Notable projects: Florida Blue Tower, Rutledge Pearson Elementary School (Duval Co.), University of Florida Police Dept., UF Malachowsky Hall
- Years of partnership with Ajax: 7
Tell us about you and your company.
When I graduated from college in the late 1990s, my parents gave me my childhood home. I had to put the house back together. I fell in love with building things, and the rest is history. We started in residential and now we are a full-service construction firm. We are client focused and specialize in strategic partnerships to deliver quality outcomes.
What is Shifting Gears’ specialty?
General construction and roofing.
What are you most proud of?
Replacing the roof of one of Jacksonville’s tallest buildings. This one-time job opportunity has opened the door to more work for a large private client.
What was most helpful in growing your company?
Networking with larger, more experienced companies. Developing relationships with their senior leadership allowed us to learn how to become more collaborative within the industry. Additionally, partnerships on large-scale projects helped to build our resume and become more competitive.
How did your partnership with Ajax begin?
My relationship with Ajax began through my work with Duval County Public Schools. Ajax allowed me to partner on some of their many projects. I learned much from an operational standpoint from Lon Neuman and a practical standpoint from Randy Smith. The partnership gave me guidance on how I managed subcontractors and how to become competitive when bidding jobs. I currently serve as the MWDBE partner with Ajax on serval projects totaling almost $200M, which puts me in a shadowing role with many of Ajax’s exemplary leaders.
What else could the industry be doing to help and promote MWDBE-certified businesses?
Continued training is vitally important, along with assistance to market MWDBEs. Often small businesses do not have budgetary allowances for robust marketing. The industry could “feature” businesses in monthly/quarterly communications to expose the business to the larger base, highlighting their work on various projects.
Do you have any advice for someone starting their own business in our industry and beginning the MWDBE process?
Be a sponge and absorb knowledge from an array of opportunities. Find opportunities to attend training sessions, shadow those who are familiar with the industry, and be amendable to changing direction along the way.