BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL HONORS STRUM CONTRACTING COO, TEAERA STRUM WITH “40 UNDER 40” AWARD
Prestigious Award Given to Those Making Significant Impact on Business and Community
BALTIMORE, Md., November 12, 2019 – The Baltimore Business Journal today awarded Chief Operating Officer of Strum Contracting Company (SCC), Teaera Strum its prestigious “40 Under 40” award, reserved for leaders who are making a significant impact in the region. Strum received the award for her work leading SSC, a family-run Minority Business Enterprise with a 30-year legacy of providing welding and light fabrication services for Maryland’s thriving infrastructure industry.
Since 2014, Teaera has strengthened the vision and business prospects for SCC with projects across DC, Maryland and Virginia’s high-tech corridors and heavily traveled transitways. SCC has established its niche as a regional provider of welding for the reconstruction of bridges and tunnels with performance as a manufacturer of steel hand railings and other bridge components.
Leveraging the existing reputation to propel additional word-of-mouth marketing opportunities, Teaera has also positioned the company as an advocate for vocational and apprenticeship offerings to the local-Baltimore workforce.
With her personal interest in public policy, she routinely follows the work of the Maryland State legislature and found in 2014 the enactment of the Maryland Wind Energy Act with projections for the state’s “New Economy for Renewable Energy” creating over 5,000 new jobs. Her interest grew upon finding the projected shortage of welders required to successfully accomplish the manufacturing and welding of steel components for the windmills to be located 12 miles from Ocean City.
At the age of 30 she became the youngest member of the new Offshore Wind Business Development (OWDB) Network; now a national trade organization for wind developers and supply chain participants from Maine to the Carolinas, where she has co-chaired several of the network’s sub-committees, prepared and provided both written and oral testimony for the State legislature and federal subcommittees on the importance of Offshore Wind development to the growth of America’s: 21st C energy agenda, jobs creation, revitalization of manufacturing, and small business development.
She’s testified before the Maryland State Legislature two times to discuss the critical role projects like OWDB bring to the local economy and jobs as well as the tangible workforce development opportunities. Her advocacy work also includes serving as a volunteer board member and employer-partner for the Jane Addams Resource Center (JARC) located in the Park Heights neighborhood.
JARC provides training and professional certification recognized by the American Welding Society for entry-level welders. She has employed 10 or more JARC graduates over time. At age 33, she became the first Baltimore-based board member on the national JARC board in Chicago and is currently serving as vice-chair of the national board in line to become the chair of the national JARC board in 2020 at age 35.
To the company’s benefit, she has also completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business CEO development program and the inaugural launch of the Boston-based ICIC Capital Connections program for Baltimore-based businesses.
About Strum Contracting Company
Strum Contracting Company is a national heavy civil infrastructure contractor focusing on the
installation of structural steel elements for industrial-grade structures including bridges,
pipelines, power generation facilities, and renewable energy projects.
Visit us at:
www.strumcontracting.com
Additional Coverage Here:
https://trailblazersimpact.com/2020/10/teaera-strum/
https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/c/meet-the-baltimore-business-journals40-under-40/11125/40-under-40-2019-teaera-strum-strum-contracting-co-inc.html