Growing up, Carter Hill spent his afternoons riding around town to job sites with his grandfather and father, president and partner of Milton J. Womack Inc. Today, as the owner of Carter Hill Construction, Hill drives around with his daughter, Palmer, as she points out the window to things her dad has built.
Hill tells Business Report in its new Entrepreneur feature that he recognized his passion for buildings early on, but he also developed a keen interest for business while studying and playing baseball at Tulane University. Unsure whether to pursue a career in architecture, construction or engineering, Hill enrolled in a two-year Tulane graduate program on building preservation, studying historical New Orleans architecture.
“I took it as [a learning experience] about the construction side of it,” Hill says.
In 2009, after more than five years learning his trade with Milton J. Womack Inc., Hill set out to start his own business in Baton Rouge. His company now annually records revenue between $4 million and $5 million.
Reflecting on his six years as an entrepreneur, Hill finds the evolution of his business model fascinating and exciting. What began as a one-man show focused on renovations has grown into a four-person management team also taking on commercial build-outs and new construction. With a small team, Carter is able to remain hands-on with on-site job management in order to maintain a high quality of work and craftsmanship that can often be lost by growing too fast.
“It is hard to say, ‘I’m sorry I can’t do your project,’” Hill says, explaining the importance of managing the company’s workload. “My name is all over my company, and I think we’ve built a solid reputation, but when you continue to build a solid reputation, you don’t want to overextend because things can fall through the cracks.”
Read the full Entrepreneur feature on Hill. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
