By: Kelly K. Mensah

Nancy W. Russell, Rhino Contractors

Nancy W. Russell is an interesting woman; co-owner of a remodeling firm in Harlingen, Tex. (pop. 57,564), citrus grove owner, and degreed speech pathologist and audiologist. Nancy and her company Rhino Contractors submitted the winning bids for two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Recovery Act projects (FFS #R2GK, FFS #R2GN) at Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Alamo, Tex. rehabilitating a dirt road and two concrete walls. In addition, Nancy’s company has won another Service contract to rebuild a roof damaged by Hurricane Dolly at Laguna Atascosa (NWR) in Rio Hondo, Tex. She spoke about her first experience as a government contractor, her feelings on the Recovery Act, being a leader in her community, and what to do with excess oranges:

Which Recovery Act projects have you worked on?

With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we have worked on Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Starr County and Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge in Cameron County. Both are in South Texas.

Describe what it was that you were doing for that project.

At 45,187 acres, Laguna Atascosa is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Grande Valley. The refuge suffered damage from Hurricane Dolly and we were brought on to re-roof the visitor’s center. At Lower Rio Grande Valley we worked on some refuge infrastructure projects that were well past due.

How many people worked on the project?

On the job, we had approximately five people that were involved with the day-to-day renovation. Additionally, we contracted 10-15 local subcontractors to assist us during the projects.

You are still working on the project, right?

Yes, we’re anticipating our end date will be this week, or the beginning of next week (late March).

And when did you start?

We started on December the 28th.

Map of South Texas

Did you make any new hires outside of the subcontractors?

Yes, we hired one construction foreman along with our in-house accountant.

Have you worked on any other Recovery Act projects from any other agencies?

No, most of ours right now are with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We started submitting proposals in October. We’re fairly new in the game, and I wanted to make sure that we would succeed and that we were able to meet the paperwork requirements.

How many employees do you have, total?

We have a total of seven full-time employees.

How would you describe the economy where you live?

The average median income in South Texas, where we are located is $27,000 per year, per household. This is a lower-income area to begin with. We see that the slowdown in the economy is impacting South Texas more now, whereas the northern and eastern states were harder hit initially. Additionally, we are impacted by the problems Mexico is having, due to our proximity to the border.

Do you think that the Recovery Act has been a good thing for America?

Oh most definitely! Working on the front lines with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers opportunity to learn from their leadership, not to mention the obvious financial opportunity. We learned from the framework of their work processes, improving our day-to-day on-the-job and management skills. Plus, our local economy benefitted as we were encouraged to hire local subcontractors. And then of course, we used mostly American-made products for the job, further helping our national economy.

So you’re saying that you learned something from working on a Recovery Act project?

Yes, yes! At all times, the contract specialists were available to help. They said “please call, do not hesitate to call, let us know what we can do to help.” They viewed us as partners in maintaining these facilities that need the work. That spirit of partnership and creativity is right up our alley. In fact, I learned that the wildlife refuge feeds a lot of the birds, and we have an orchard at home with an over-abundance of oranges, so we took the excess oranges to the refuge where they were cut in half and placed in the trees to feed the birds.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

What they do for the citizens that live here, it’s encouraging to see that they are giving back to the community and promoting volunteer work.

The refuge staff is happy and passionate about their work; my employees would say, “It’s just astronomical first of all, how nice people are at the facility, and then what they give back.”

Were you familiar with the refuge system before you took the project on?

I was familiar with where it was, but what they did, absolutely not…and I have lived here for over 20 years.

How did you get started in what you do?

Rhino Contractors has been in business since 2003 and I have been part owner since the company opened. I worked for a Fortune 500 company for 25 years and in May 2009, I felt confident that I could take on this position as President and CEO and be a leader in the community. I wanted to lead not only in remodeling, but also to be a leader in the use of energy efficiency products and practices, such as the weatherization of homes. I recognized that there was opportunity to serve the local community through cost-effective home upgrades and remodeling, helping those who could not afford to move into a new home, but wanted to live more conveniently. That’s our specialty, remodeling.

And what is your personal background?

I have a degree in speech pathology and audiology, and I have 25 years in executive management.

The Rhino Crew working on the roof at Laguna Atascosa NWR

And what do you think the future holds for your area, and for Rhino Contractors?

We operate in a low-income area, and I think a lot of the stimulus packages are going to facilitate providing more stable, energy efficient homes for our community, especially senior citizens and the underprivileged. I foresee that with solar, wind, and other energy efficient resources the area has, we are definitely going to be a leader in energy efficient remodeling solutions.

If you had a friend who was applying for a Recovery Act project what would you tell him/her about the process?

I would suggest that he be very diligent. I would tell him not to be hindered whatsoever by the paperwork. I found the paperwork not to be overbearing, or repetitive. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife team was straightforward and honest on what I needed to do, what my subcontractors needed to do, and once I understood the procedure it was nothing but blue skies. We had no problems whatsoever.

Special thanks to the Harlingen, Tex. Area Chamber of Commerce.

Originally posted 03/29/2010