Anthony Winston III wanted to make a positive impact within the construction industry while also having the ability to spend more time with his family.
With that in mind, he created Winston Engineering Inc, a minority-owned business specializing in the design of Mechanical, Electricial, & Plumbing (MEP) Engineering for residential & commercial buildings.
Winston’s hard work and dedication have made his firm the only minority-owned MEP business on the West Coast, but it wasn’t easy to do.
“My story is fairly similar to a lot of my peers growing up. Not having a father around as much and dealing with broken promises has turned me into the driven individual I am today. I am fiercely loyal and somewhat obsessed with sticking to my word,” he told AfroTech. “Luckily this trend is no longer the case since Black dads – whether they live with their children or not, are more actively involved in their children’s lives than their counterparts of other races.”
Despite all of that, he overcame adversity to form Winston Engineering Inc, which — in addition to all of its other services — provides solar panels and solar energy solutions.
“I didn’t have any examples around me that were business owners in Engineering,” he said. “People are usually surprised to find that I never worked for a MEP Engineering firm prior to starting my firm. I actually obtained a lot of the technical side of things from studying for my P.E. (Professional Engineering) exam. I also had zero business experience. Hours of research helped me get my start.”
However, it’s research that has certainly paid off, as some clients that Winston Engineering Inc has previously worked with include Costco Wholesale, Starbucks, UCLA Bruins, and CarMax.
Even though Winston is happy owning his own business with Winston Engineering Inc, he also realizes that it’s not right for everyone — but, he says, he’s hoping his example will serve as an inspiration to others.
“Before COVID, I visited local high schools a few times a year to have heart-to-heart conversations with kids about making it. Quite often people are drawn to entrepreneurship because social media makes it look cool, but my goal is to prepare them so they can see the crust and choose for themselves,” he said.
Editorial note: Portions of this interview have been condensed and edited for clarity.
