L-R: Matt and Julie Strong know their strength lies in working apart - and together.

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“But our business was growing to the extent that we needed to separate the engineering from the construction,” she says. “Although they complemented each other, they needed separate processes and management. “

That’s why in 2009, the one became two. Julie, granddaughter of the founder of TDIndustries, had ten years of project experience, and with her construction background and MBA, Matt knew she would be perfect to help grow the offshoot. She’s now president of c1s Group Inc. which focuses on design/build, construction and LEED consulting, while Matt remains president of Class 1 Solutions, which maintains a focus on engineering design and construction.

“It’s really great,” Julie says. “Everybody wonders that it must be so hard, but we have really distinct separation of responsibilities. We don’t always agree, but we know each other’s boundaries, and we are comfortable and speak to each other pretty easily. And we do get to steal away for lunch, and that’s kind of a treat! I feel we’re blessed to have this situation.”

“She’s the boss now, actually,” Matt jokes. “Used to be I could say I was in charge of work, but no longer! Now she’s in charge at work and at home.”

“The hard part is turning it off at night and not going home and continue to talk about billings and customer issues!” Julie says. “But I love it and Matt says the same thing. We can’t imagine doing it any differently right now.”

In January Class 1 Solutions Inc. and c1s group Inc will move to a new Dallas location. – mjm