D-Bar Contractors and Lawntechs: Building It Up & Laying It Down
by Krystal Krenek
You don’t hear much about the perfect job these days. With today’s questionable economy and job market, life in fact becomes a delicate balance between loving what you do and doing what you can to survive. But for Valley businesses, often renowned for their weathering of the current downturn, traditional business philosophies still ring true.
Turning hobbies and interests into a successful career, and in effect the American Dream, is still possible in the Valley. Achieving job satisfaction by doing something you feel you were born to do isn’t just something our fathers talk about, and in fact J.D. De La Rosa proves that job satisfaction lies at the heart of Valley business.
De La Rosa is the owner of two thriving companies, San Benito-based D-Bar Contractors and Lawntechs, which he began before the age of 30.
“It’s a matter of taking where you are from and what you love and turning it into so much more than what you do.” That, in so many words is what De La Rosa says comes from a work ethic instilled in him by his family growing up. Summer days and afternoons driving a tractor and picking broccoli, okra, and squash on the family’s Valley farm. Then the self realization; at the age of eight paving the way for growth of what De La Rosa calls “the construction bone” in his body.
Beginning with his college days as a hunting guide for Halliburton execs on King Ranch, a subsequent degree in agriculture coincided with an opportunity to work for a company out of Austin seeking South Texas builders to construct storage sheds, metal buildings, and fencing for Home Depot.
A successful job interview landed De La Rosa the prominent position of overseeing the entire South Texas region for Home Depot which included the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Corpus Christi. It was through his experiences with the company, and a natural ability for making business contacts, that he went on his own after a few short years.
D-Bar Contractors began building retail centers and stores in 2000, overseeing about ninety percent of the construction of each structure, beginning with framing and sheet rocking.
Operating out of a warehouse and office in San Benito, D-Bar Contractors currently has eleven employees and contracts with Lowe’s Home Improvement Store as a certified installer of their fencing, decks, and gazebos. J.D.’s company has worked from Harlingen to Brownsville to Laredo, and all the way to Phoenix, Arizona overseeing a variety of aspects of construction, including home building, fencing, swimming pool installation, concrete or pavestone walkways, patios, and driveways, and interior and exterior painting.
In 2008, De La Rosa began what he calls the Valley’s “extreme backyard makeover company” founding Lawntechs Landscaping as a subsidiary of D-Bar Contractors, and a whole new world of lawn care service to his growing customer base.
He currently has contracts with the city of Harlingen and maintains such locations as the Harlingen Sports Complex, as well as with area hotels and businesses such as Holiday Inn, La Quinta, and Auto Zone. His well-recognized Lawntech vehicle decals seen around town show home owners just what he has to offer, as well in the way of service, as Lawntechs is expanding its residential services more and more.
D-Bar Contractors wants to insure that each of their customers is satisfied with the best pricing available on each job they are involved in. If you bring them a written estimate from another Valley company, they offer to go beyond matching to beating their competitors’ pricing instead. They aim to provide the best customer service available with top-of-the-line craftsmanship. With D-Bar, J.D. says “welcome to your one stop shop” when it comes to quality commercial and residential projects from start to finish.
Looking back, De La Rosa sees his progress as an investment and a rollercoaster, plainly stating with a touch of humor, “and here we are.” When he looks to the future of his business, he sees plans to double in size within the year and aims for a quadruple expansion within five years. D-Bar Contractors and Lawntechs are seeking growth opportunities beyond the Rio Grande Valley to Central Texas locations from Corpus Christi to San Antonio.
Growing up with the support of his family, J.D. De La Rosa credits their involvement as role models with a positive impact on his attentive approach and business drive. He is very thankful for them and their influence and how they have helped direct him to positive goals and accomplishments in both his personal and professional life.
Uniting a knowledge, a heritage, and an inclination that carved out a path for a professional life in construction, De La Rosa continues to set goals and reach for them in his family business with D-Bar Contractors and Lawntechs. Every element of construction from the foundation to the finishing touches needs a skilled hand behind it. And when it comes to walls and sod, J.D. knows how to build it up and lay it down.
To learn more about the services of D-Bar Contractors or Lawntechs, visit www.DBarContractors.com or give J.D. De La Rosa a call at 956.244.6191. D-Bar Contractors is located at 22460 West US Highway 281 in San Benito.
Useful post, great read anyway very interesting.