We were lucky to catch up with Charles Barber recently and have shared our conversation below.

Charles, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The story behind your mission

Metro Elite was founded in 2023 by Charles Barber and James Robinson. We worked together for a well-known general contractor in Detroit early in our careers. We had a passion for construction and were eager to make an impact. Even though we were just starting, we saw gaps in the industry that were in dire need to be filled. The most obvious gap was a void of construction companies that focus on quality rather than profit. Fast forward over a decade later, we decided to do something about those voids and start our own construction company. Our mission is to bring invaluable quality and a collaborative experience to the construction industry in a way that our customers feel their investment in us is the best choice they’ve ever made.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

My story started at Michigan State University where I earned a Construction Management degree. It was by far a journey. I originally started out in engineering, but being a member of the football team also took a lot of time, and I just couldn’t manage both. I needed a new direction, so a friend suggested I check out the construction field. I had no idea there was even a college degree in construction, but I liked the sound of it and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a great fit for me. I graduated and eventually got my foot in the door with some really good construction companies, where I learned a lot and learned to consider myself an expert in the field. One of the biggest inspirations for starting my own business was the fact that my grandfather also owned a construction company. I was too young to remember, but my dad would always tell stories about me visiting his job sites. Funny that I didn’t think of him until later on in my career. We’ve only been open a short while, but I’m excited about where we might go. If we ever land a high profile project that both employs Detroit residents and pumps money back into the local economy, that would be beyond words. That’s our big goal at Metro Elite, and we believe we can do it. Another goal is to encourage young people to enter the construction industry. We want to develop a program that gets them acquainted with the field and lets them blossom as they pass the torch.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2009, I was laid off from my job as a result of the recession. After some time, I submitted a great number of applications, but did not receive a response to any of them. Then, I decided to approach the job hunt with a slightly more aggressive approach. I stopped in at a local construction firm that I knew of, and I asked if they were hiring. They responded with the expected no, so I ramped up the persistence a notch. I think I called their office every day for about three weeks until they were sufficiently impressed to set up a meeting. When we met, I was well-received, but they were still feeling the effects of the recession, so they were unable to hire me. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I offered to work for them for free until the economy got better. Unfortunately, they weren’t interested. Thankfully, when things did start to pick up, they hired me. It took time, persistence, and a little luck, but I eventually got to where I wanted to be. Ironically, that’s the place my current business partner and I became friends and started our professional relationship.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Our best source of new clients are clients we’ve built relationships with while working for others, fellow college classmates, word of mouth and networking events.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.metroelitecontracting.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metro-elite-contracting/