Orangeburg construction firm builds homes and businesses

Eric Byrd, VP of Operations;Stephon Edwards, II, VP of Residential Division; Stephon Edwards, President; DeQuincey Edwards, General Contractor

Paragon Builders, an Orangeburg-based general and mechanical contractor, recently completed its first home rebuild resulting from the 2015 floods that devastated many South Carolinians.

The rebuild took place in Sumter, SC, where the 18-year old company constructed a new ADA-accessible home for a flood victim whose home was left uninhabitable after the 2015 natural disasters. Paragon demolished the damaged structure and constructed a new three-bedroom, two-bath home that met ADA standards for the resident, who is wheel-chair bound.

The procurement opportunity was made possible through a subcontract with Horne, LLP, which is contacted through the State of South Carolina. To date, Paragon has been assigned 27 home constructions, but the contract can be expanded to 100 homes throughout the state.

To help manage the contract and meet the 90-day completion time, Paragon partnered with several other minority-owned firms to complete the project. Lyles and Lyles Construction, B&H Heating and Cooling, Polaris Construction, One Way Electrical, LLC, Brabham Trucking, LLC, Preileau Flooring, and Amaker Roofing were brought on to provide specialty services and support.

Eric Byrd, VP of Operations, said, “Working on a project like this is special to us. Everyone deserves a quality home to live in, and we are especially proud to play a role in helping people displaced by the 2015 Flood and Hurricane Matthew to rebuild their lives. And not just that, we are more than happy to include other minority firms in the process. This is truly a win-win for everyone.”

Byrd credits Horne, LLP for the opportunity and says they are using it have a positive impact on the community, not only displaced residents, but fellow minority contractors as well. “Every chance we get, we extend the opportunity to others so they can grow along with us.”

About the MBDA Business Center

The mission of the MBDA Business Center – Columbia, SC is to assist Minority Business Enterprises compete in the global economy and to stimulate the national and local economy through job creation. To fulfill this mission, we assist MBEs with access to contracts and capital, strategic business counseling, and becoming export-ready. For more information on the MBDA Business Center and its services, visit ColumbiaMBDACenter.com or call (803) 743-1152.