New Owner, CEO Prioritizes Diversity After Acquisition
Several years ago, Bisa Grant and her family lost all of their personal belongings in a flood. “I had to pick myself up and start from nothing. It took determination and willpower to make it out of that rock-bottom place. At the time it seemed impossible, but looking back makes me appreciate where I am today,” she said.
Bisa recently acquired AnchorCM, a company that specializes in construction and project management and provides staff augmentation services for public infrastructure projects and programs. This acquisition makes Anchor the only African-American woman owned construction management business of its size and kind in California.
As a former Vice President of Anchor, Bisa succeeded in helping to grow the firm by more than 300% over a seven-year period. Currently, as owner and CEO, she is spearheading an expansion into new markets, with a five-year goal of accessing over $100 million in new revenue opportunities — all while enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion in all areas of business. To accomplish these goals, she is using aggressive business strategies, including networking with new private clientele, building new partnerships and tapping into new talent pools.
“Diversifying talent is one of the first goals I had for the company after acquisition,” said Bisa. “Finding diverse talent hasn’t been too big of a challenge for me, as I look in different and creative places for talent. My team and I have been very intentional when looking for specific workers. Employee referrals have been a great source of recruitment.”
A dynamic business professional with over 15 years of progressive executive experience, Bisa says she never dreamed that the journey to acquiring a company would look the way that it did. “There were lots of detours and bumps along the road, but I ultimately ended up at my destination. I worked my way from the bottom to the top,” she shared. “Achievement is a ladder. I’ve accomplished so many things in my life and career, but there is still so much more that I can and will do.”
Being at the helm of a construction business is daunting, especially for a woman, she added. But she found strength and support by bringing on a great leadership partner, a tactic she would recommend to anyone starting out. And you don’t rise to Bisa’s level without knowing how to be assertive and diplomatic.
“There is an art to putting someone in their place respectfully,” she said. “You can leave the conversation being perceived as the nicest person ever if you handle the discussion properly. My advice to women who have trouble taking a stand is to work your way backwards from your desired result. If you want to get Z, you must first start with A. Figure out how to get through A to Y to then get to Z. You need to plan the work and take action.”