SYB 70 | The Journey from Phlebotomist to General Contractor • Schumacher Companies

One of the things that gives small business owners headaches is the cost of relocating their office to new space. Unless you are looking for an empty warehouse to just store stuff, adapting someone else's office build-out to suit your company's needs always requires some adjustment. Either you change the way you process the company's work flow to match the build-out - or you change the build-out by tearing out what's there and putting in new stuff so it works for you.

Today's guest is Judi Schumacher, President of Schumacher Companies, a successful local construction company that specializes in commercial construction and particularly in tenant build-outs. Judi and her husband Jerry founded the company 9 years ago and have learned to divide up the responsibilities so they don't step on each other's toes. Judi says she is responsible for everything "before the shovel hits the dirt".

Judi's sojourn into construction took a circuitous route beginning as a hospital phlebotomist that assisted with autopsies, then the Chamber of Commerce and then a builder's association in Collier County. Now she has found her niche and loves the satisfaction of seeing the smiles on clients' faces when they move into their new offices.

A consummate networker and volunteer, Judi is also a founding member of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast CREW and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, the West Palm Beach Boys & Girls Club, March of Dimes, Easter Seals - and a few more.