Kimberly Black comes from a family of tough women.
The confidence and strength of her family gave her the support she needed to carve out a place in the male-dominated construction industry.
She founded a company called Trusted Field Services in her home state of Texas in 2017. She ran her business in Dallas until the COVID-19 pandemic began and changed everything.
“We've been in the midst of COVID-19…When I was working in property preservation, it was disrupting work, but luckily some of the developers here in Knoxville were able to… Business was good and they needed some workers,” Black said. “After many trips back and forth, I came here and never stopped or looked back.”
She moved her company in 2020 and has operated out of an office at 2707 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. ever since.
Trusted Field Services provides renovation, construction management, remodeling, disaster recovery, and construction services.
Her company's work includes pouring concrete, improving sidewalks and building foundations for homes with the help of 21 contract workers.
But the work she's most proud of is a contract with Knoxville Area Transit to create a new bus stop that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Ensuring residents have adequate accommodation while waiting for their deal at KAT has been a highlight of my career,” Mr Black said.
active in the construction industry
Over the past seven years, Black's business has navigated multiple hurdles, including a government shutdown, a global pandemic and relocating the entire operation across state lines.
“I was able to pivot and God saw fit for me to come to Knoxville to grow my business. I would like to thank the good people of East Tennessee for giving me the opportunity. I'm very grateful, because as a working adult, that's a very difficult thing to do at a female-owned construction company,'' Black told Knox News. “So they had enough trust and confidence in me to work with me and make sure I was successful in this field.”
Before founding the company, she earned a degree in international agriculture and business from Florida A&M, a historically black college in Tallahassee. Black applied to several schools, but she knew Florida A&M was the right choice the moment she toured the campus.
“My experience at an HBCU allowed me to step into a male-dominated industry and carve out a place for myself. If I didn't have that experience, I definitely would have gone into construction. 'I don't think he was,''' Black said.
So far, she has built up a solid clientele and a body of work that she is proud of. That's what her clients focus on most and what keeps her at the table.
“At the end of the day, business is business and it's all about how you treat people. Now, as a Black woman, can I bring unique experience to this field? Yes, I do.” And I'm very proud of that,'' Black said.
Trusted Field Services received the Diversity Business Enterprise Award from the City of Knoxville in September 2023. This award recognizes the achievements of Knoxville's small, women and minority-owned businesses. Ms. Black said KAT nominated her for her award.
“We were so honored that the city thought of us, just by saying, ‘We love what you’re doing, please keep doing it,’” Black said. . “Just knowing that the work I'm doing is important and that it's helping create a better Knoxville was a very, very humbling experience.”
Building communities one by one
Trusted Field Services operates throughout the state and throughout Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. But Black is focused on eastern Tennessee, specifically east of Knoxville.
“There's a lot of opportunity here in East Knox because we're so close to downtown, we've got a lot of great people, we've had a lot of great feedback from the community and neighbors. “It's a problem. I can't cut the grass anymore.'' Either it’s gone or they’re dumping it here,” Black said. “And the city has done a great job, so now it's up to some business people… to see the vision for these properties… as we face a housing shortage.” Because there is.”
She is working with Abundant Capital Group, another local Black-owned business, on an upcoming apartment complex in East Knoxville.
She works with Austin East Magnet High School to educate students about the construction trades as a potential career path through 865 Academy. She said it was a great opportunity to show young men and women what the world of construction is like.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up only 10.8% of the construction industry workforce.
“I love that Knox County Schools is offering these programs and allowing local businesses to come on board and serve as mentors to help students figure out where they want to go in the industry. I'm happy,” Black said.
She is reminded of the work she does every time she drives by a home she helped build or a property she helped transform from an abandoned building to a desirable structure. Seeing her family utilize these homes is one of her favorite accomplishments as the owner of Trusted Field Services.
“It was very moving to drive by here and see families with their children playing,” Black said. “Big projects are nice, but seeing people raising their children in their forever homes really puts a smile on my face.”
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News Business Growth Development team. He can be reached via email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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