1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.  The most important person in my life is my husband, Daniel.  We have two wonderful children, Danelle and Ionnie, and one grandson, Malachi.  I am the owner of three businesses, MCO Construction & Services, Inc., MCO Consulting, Inc. and Colbert/Ball Tax Franchise.  I am very active at my church where I serve as a trustee, and I am involved in the Entrepreneurship and Investment Ministries.  I am the founder of two civic organizations, MasterMind Empowerment Association and the National Association of Black Women in Construction.   I am a work-life balance coach, and speak professionally on the subject.

2. What do you enjoy most about your profession? What I enjoy most about being in the construction industry is the fact that thirty years ago I was one of the first African American females to break into this field.  I take pleasure in helping introduce other women to the industry and watching them grow in it.

3. What was your vision for starting your own company? The vision that I had when I first started MCO Construction was to help rebuild a community that was torn by the 1979 Race Riots in Miami by becoming involved in the construction process and providing employment opportunities for those who lived in the community. The vision for MCO Consulting was for it to help private sector firms who work on public sector land by providing outreach, monitoring and compliance on construction project within the community. The vision for Colbert/Ball Tax Franchise was to give accounting students from local universities like Florida Memorial an entry into the industry.
4. Tell us about organizations your company supports.  We support several organizations.  Foremost isNew Birth Baptist Church, where I worship.  We support the Entrepreneurship Ministry, which teaches individuals how to start, run and manage a successful business.  We also support New Birth’s Investment Ministry.  The Investment Ministry helps develop and manage investment clubs for adults and youths. Additionally, we support Better Investing, formerly the National Association of Investors Corporation.  The goal of this organization is to promote investment education.  Lastly, we support MasterMind Empowerment Association, which I founded.  We encourage and teach work-life balance principles around the world.

5. What life event or incident made you choose to support them?  There is one life-changing event that has directly affected my choice to support all of these organizations, and that incident is when I read Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich in 1980.  This book changed my life because I was a young, educated married mother and broke.   I leaped to follow the Mastermind concept that was mentioned in the book.  The Mastermind concept is focused on setting and writing goals.  The key to the concept is setting specific dates for achieving each goal and also having an action plan for each goal.  Then you meet regularly with like minded/spirited people to review goals and weekly progress.

The MasterMind concept encourages you to set goals in several areas of you life – for instance Spiritual, Financial and Career.  Setting goals in each of these areas mandated my involvement in the organizations mentioned previously.  This also birthed MasterMind Women’s Group, which is now MasterMind Empowerment Association, Inc. and includes men and children.  Out of my deepest despair has come my greatest gift to others – empowerment.

6. Where do you draw inspiration?  GOD

7. What one thing would you like to learn this year? I would like to become a certified life coach this year.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years I see myself helping MasterMind Empowerment chapters all over the world, while speaking on MasterMind Empowerment through the National Speaker’s Association and living the work-life balance I speak about.

For more information visit www.mcoconstruction.net