We were lucky to catch up with Crystal Hirschi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Crystal , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

My father passed away in 2015 from Colon Cancer. His passing made me reflect on my own life. Was I living it intentionally and with meaning? This led to a humanitarian trip with my oldest son to Bolivia. While in Bolivia, we served a small village of Hisco Hocco, we lived in this small village, sleeping on hay mats on the floor of a school, with an outhouse yards away made of concrete. Clean water was pumped from the well on the property, and things like electricity and wifi were sparse. At this time, I felt humbled at what I thought they lacked, like modern-day luxuries of running hot water, indoor plumbing, etc… But what I came to learn was community.

The community members of Hisco Hocco came out to support the school, regardless of whether they had a child who attended. They worked side by side. Whether by working, cleaning, or bringing in lunch and dinner. These community members served one another. This feeling of community inspired my husband and I to create Hirschi Helping Hands.

We own a family of businesses in Southern Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona. We employ over 850 team members who are anxiously engaged in wanting to support the community. As such, we take the opportunity to help the community through education, wrap-around services, and creating opportunities through workforce development.

I am currently the education advisory chairwoman for the city of North Las Vegas. Through this role, I have had the opportunity to help inner-city schools with things like fencing to provide safety at local elementary schools, a counselor’s corner for a local middle school to help with absenteeism and much more.

Our team recently became involved with Hope for Prisoners. This non-profit helps incarcerated people take their lives back by providing opportunities. Hirschi Companies created Path Ways School of Masonry at Vocational Village to assist in giving prisoners trade training in masonry to provide them with opportunities once released from prison. Our team was awarded the Champions of Hope Award for 2024.

I am also the chairwoman for Construction vs. Cancer, which is held every year at the Silverton Hotel and Casino. The construction industry puts on the event with booths, giveaways, games, and heavy machinery for photo opportunities. Last year, we raised 268K for pediatric cancer, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

With education at the forefront of our community involvement, Hirschi Companies will have a storefront in Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada. This new learning facility creates opportunities for kids across the city to interact and be involved in financial literacy learning. We are proud sponsors and are excited for this to open in August.

Team Hirschi and Hirschi Helping Hands are always eager to help within the community. This help comes in many forms and with many different opportunities. We want to create community within our local schools and create opportunities through education and hard work.

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

My husband Chad and I opened Hirschi Companies in 2009. We started with 20 team members and have grown the company to 850+ team members. We have home offices in two states: Phoenix, Arizona, and Southern Nevada. We own a family of businesses. We are primarily a masonry contractor with a residential and commercial division. We also do stone, tile, and rockery walls as part of our residential business. We have an iron and powder coating business with southern Nevada’s largest powder coating oven. We also have a trucking business that hauls masonry, rockery, and other materials to job sites.
At Hirschi Companies, our core values are to Win work, Achieve results, and be fulfilled. We expect more from our team, and we hope to create the best client experience.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My husband and I were high school sweethearts. We met when we were 15 years old and married right out of high school. We have three children, ages 27, 22, and 18. Two of our children are married and we have three grandchildren. We hope to instill in our children hard work, professionalism, and doing good for the community and others. It’s not always easy being a business partner with your husband, as work for us often doesn’t stop at five. We have learned to communicate, brainstorm, and put our marriage first. This healthy approach has made not only our marriage stronger but our business as well. We are opposites in how we think and operate, but this has been a blessing as we can look at different problems through different eyes and, with mutual respect, come to an understanding from all angles.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Since my husband and I were married young, I haven’t had the chance to go to college. This was something I always wanted to do, but with small children, this goal had to be put on the back burner. I am proud to say that at the age of 44, I began my journey to get my college degree. I am currently enrolled in WGU and getting a finance degree. This has been challenging and rewarding. Working and running a company on top of the many boards I sit on has not made getting this degree easy, but I think that nothing truly great comes easy. One is never too old to start something new. We are constantly learning and reshaping our minds and creating new opportunities for ourselves. I will graduate with a finance degree at 48 years old, and i couldn’t be prouder.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: crystella_rose_
• Facebook: Crystal Swedin Hirschi
• LinkedIn: Crystal Hirschi
• Other: Once I see the story, i will share all my social media information

Image Credits

Kim Dung Ho- Crystal Hirschi headshot
Jessenia Abrego- All other content.