Herb R. Sargent, President and CEO of Maine-based Sargent Corp, has an incredibly unique story because he's third-generation construction while also being a first-generation business owner.
In 1926, Herb Sargent's grandfather started a heavy construction business called H. E Sargent with a dump truck and steam shovel. The company expanded and changed over the decades as Herb's dad and Herb himself joined the family business to build airports, interstates, and dams.
In 1988, a large French company purchased H. E Sargent. After a few years of working for the changing business, Herb R. Sargent thought he could start his own business. So he did.
He not only started a new business, called Sargent and Sargent, but grew it so fast that in 2005, they purchased H. E Sargent back from the French when the company was over four times the size of his own. The best part about this was that his grandfather was alive to see the company back in the Sargent family.
The two companies merged to become what's now Sargent Corporation -- a heavy civil construction company with over 400 people and work in seven states across the Northeast.
Sargent represents the other group of companies BuildWitt's proud to serve, beyond younger companies with younger owners. Those who have decades of experience and decorated history but also understand that they need to do business differently if they are to succeed in the future.
Herb's experience, combined with his young mindset, makes him an extraordinary leader who's built an exceptional business. Sargent Corp is not only now employee-owned, but they have their academy in which they recruit, train, and pay kids fresh out of high school to give a career in construction a shot.
Find out more about Herb and Sargent Corp at https://sargent-corp.com/, or you can follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/herb-r-sargent-29a791152/.