Since their start, Cura Concrete has been pursuing the best parts of entrepreneurship: forming and caring for the right team, pursuing right-fit projects, and having the ability to go where their curiosity takes them. Thanks to Kati, Francisco, and Carol for sharing their story.
Merging Education and Experience
Francisco Ceron Maza shared that much of their inspiration for Cura Concrete started in the architecture program at UNC Charlotte where he and Kati Salas Montano met. Their professors spoke about the beauty of construction materials, and they carried this with them into their business.
However, they learned through their education that sometimes there can be a gap between the design work done in an office and how things are actually built on site. They started working with local concrete and construction companies and learned hands-on the importance of merging the two. “I feel like both of us were more interested in the construction aspects,” shared Kati. “Once we were on that graduating stage, we had to come up with a decision of what we’re going to do…it was the right time to jump on our own.”
So, Cura Concrete was born in 2022. Kati’s sister, Carol Salas Montano, rounded out the team handling all aspects of business administration – including contracts, billing, and scheduling. They each understand the small business model of wearing many hats to keep things running smoothly.
Connections Through Past Work
When it came time to get their business off the ground, they pursued funding from three different lenders and were rejected by each. This is a common problem with start-ups when traditional funders abide by status-quo lending rules. However, Carol and Kati had learned about Mountain BizWorks in an early job that happened to be a previous loan client.
“Carol and I used to work at Abeja’s House Cafe – well before college. So, we knew about Mountain BizWorks as an organization that gives loans to small businesses,” Kati shared. “Once we started to venture into our business and saw how much money it takes, especially in concrete business, it was the right thing to just reach out.” With their Mountain BizWorks loan, they were able to buy a new truck and an assortment of steel-ply panels to form concrete walls, both of which have proved essential as they work toward bigger and bigger construction projects.
Building a Company Where They Want to Work
Their current hiring practices also show the care and thought they’ve put into their company. In addition to their core team, they have four different teams of subcontractors – around 17 people total. The teamwork philosophy within management spills out into their subcontractors as well.
The teams they hire are specialized, Kati explained. “We found really good teams that we’re sticking with,” he said. One team is “dedicated to the concrete walls and footings, and then we separate the slabs for another self-contractor. That way we don’t have one contractor doing everything.” This specialized helps solve the problem they encountered in school, too – hire those subcontractors who know the ins and outs of their particular job.
In addition to hiring great employees, they want to treat them well and watch them flourish in their work: offering training and education, providing special safety equipment, and generally investing in safer working conditions. Sometimes this means not taking on jobs where the pay doesn’t match the effort output by all levels of their teams. While money is important, Francisco shared, “It’s about working conditions as well because we also invest in the safety of the team. We are changing that – the safety of everyone is important.”
Pursuing Niches & Growing Creatively
One of their favorite parts of entrepreneurship is the freedom in being able to pursue their next steps without asking for permission. This includes finding new industry niches to explore. Francisco said, “We don’t have to go to someone else and ask, ‘hey, can I do that?’ It’s something we can communicate within the team and say, ‘Hey, that’s pretty cool. We should definitely try that.’ There’s power in following what we want to do with the company.”
This includes finding new industry niches to explore. As they continue to provide quality foundations, they also provide concrete finishes for properties as well. “Most of the time concrete just ends up getting buried or something else gets put on top,” said Kati. “And so we’re starting to do architectural concrete, which is having the concrete be the face that will be the final look in a house.” This is a testament to their early work in school and the enduring idea of the beauty of construction materials themselves.
Much like their business, their concrete medium of choice lends itself to continued versatility. Kati said, “Concrete is so versatile. There’s really so many things that can be done with it.”
If you want to get your business idea off the ground, Mountain BizWorks is here with capital to help you start, grow, and thrive.
