Bashir with one of his company’s awards.

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    Bashir, a Pakistani man who brought his family to America in 1992, is quick to pull out a framed certificate from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE).

“I’m so glad you asked me about that,” he says. “I am prouder of this than if I had a million dollars.”

The award honors “outstanding contribution and service to the nation by a small business satisfying the needs of the federal procurement system.”

He received it for his company’s exemplary response to restoring temporary road access to Grapevine Lake, specifically a washed out road that left a marina area in Flower Mound isolated due to the devastating 2007 floods.

The lake, about 20 miles northwest of Dallas, was created by the USACE in 1952 to serve flood control and water reservoir functions. It offers a plethora of recreational activities: parks, trails, camping, boating, fishing, and hunting.

But in 2007, the washout of a primary road on the north shore posed a critical emergency. The USACE awarded SMR Construction the contract by phone. Miraculously, just a half-day later, SMR Construction had the new temporary road in place, restoring access to the area.

He says the award is worth a million dollars to him. Many North Texans might say it is Bashir and his construction savvy that are worth a million dollars to them. But, that’s not surprising. In just an hour of speaking with Bashir, it’s clear this is a man whose soul overflows with optimism, gratitude, and a spirit of service.

And that latter quality, the spirit of service, apparently is a family trait. He is devoted to Calvary Bible Church in Richardson, TX. His wife is a nurse. His son is a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, whose choice to be in medical school there rather than in the private sector is motivated by service to country; he certainly won’t get rich, Bashir quotes his son as saying. His daughter is at the University of Texas-Dallas, majoring in chemistry, exhibiting the technical acuity of her father, who has a degree in civil engineering.

“When I came to the U.S. in 1992 and saw all the construction, all I could say was, ‘Wow! I can do this!’” he notes.

The nation was in an economic slowdown then, but Bashir had a keen perspective many Americans lack.

In the late 1970s, construction was booming in the Middle East and he was among people from all over the world who found work there.

From 1979 to 1992, he worked for an Italian contractor, engaged in jobs all over Europe, in all phases of construction. (He speaks Italian fluently.) It was good, but here, the U.S. gushes with resources and wide open doors for everyone, he says.

“There is so much lumber here, and it is cheaper. There are so many materials that are so widely available. And there are so many opportunities that don’t exist overseas for small companies.

“Americans are so fair. They work so hard, are honest, and they achieve so much,” Bashir beams.

It’s a million dollar perspective from a man with such a positive glow about the construction industry that he may one day be easily worth a million dollars himself.

SMR Construction of Plano, TX is a general contractor serving government, commercial and industrial sectors with a strong emphasis on quality control.  –mh

©2010 Construction News, Ltd.