Robert A. Alonso II (Tony) served in the United States Air Force from Jan. 85-Apr 98. After he separated from the USAF he relocated back home to WV. He began working with his father (Bob), his brother (Todd), and his sister (Tish) in the construction business as a Project Manager and Estimator. Robert received his service connected disability from the Veteran’s Administration in 2009. In September of 2010 Robert, Todd and Tish formed The Alonso Group. A general construction company that at the time wanted to work closely with Veteran Affairs Medical Centers in the state of WV. With Robert having a strong connection with his fellow veterans, he thought this would be a way to give back to his fellow brothers and sisters in uniform. Having a strong family history and experience in the construction industry, and being aware of multiple opportunities for general contractors, Robert thought this would be a win/win for his company. In April of 2011 The Alonso Group obtained its Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Verification from CVE. In February of 2015 The Alonso Group became certified as an SBA (8a) Minority Owned Small Business. In March of 2020 The Alonso Group was selected as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2020 West Virginia Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year.
SHOW NOTES:
- 3:06 Tony take a minute, fill in some gaps from that brief intro and give us a little behind the curtain look into your company.
- 4:45 What does it mean to you to have your company recognized by the WV SBA?
- 5:32 What is your 30 sec. pitch for The Alonso Group?
- 6:18 How did you get started in the construction business?
- 7:11 What is the thing you are most excited about right now for The Alonso Group?
- 8:11 How many employees do you have?
- 8:37 What is the geographic market that you serve?
- 9:29 What type of projects excite you the most?
- 10:38 What has been your best business moment so far?
- 12:13 What has been the worst experience you’ve had in business so far?
- 13:35 What’s one takeaway that you learned from that experience?
- 14:38 PWV Commercial Break
- 15:05 What is your long term vision for The Alonso Group?
- 15:44 How do you attract new customers?
- 16:54 Outside of Covid-19, what has been your biggest challenge you face as a small business that’s trying to grow?
- 19:13 What is one piece of advice that you would give to young business owners/ entrepreneurs in WV?
- 21:17 What is one thing you do everyday that you think contributes to your success?
- 22:27 What is one resource that you use in your business that you just can’t live without?
- 23:30 What is it like working with family members?
- 24:22 What is one book or podcast that you would recommend to our listeners?
- 25:50 Is there anything else you would like our listeners to know about The Alonso Group or your story?
- 26:52 How can our listeners learn more about The Alonso Group and maybe even get in touch with you?
- 27:49 Outro