EHT Enterprises, based in Bremerton, has built an extensive portfolio of government projects ranging from remodeling barracks at Fort Lewis to a state-of-the-art, high-security intelligence center (Sensitive Compartment Information Facility, or SCIF) at Camp Murray and runway repairs at Whidbey Island.
The company has completed hundreds of projects, the largest at $3.5 million, having found its niche in the military sector. Locally, a major, high-visibility project was the remodeling of the Liberty Center at Naval Sub Base Bangor, which converted a 12,000-square-foot night club into a high-tech, café-style recreational facility with a game area, computer room and theater.
“It’s our way of supporting the military,” says owner and company president AnnaLee Todd. “It feels good.”
Todd was a real estate agent in the ’90s when she started acting as her own contractor for properties she resold. When someone mentioned to her the availability of work on military-owned properties, she started finding repair projects under $2,000 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Soon, she was asked to take on projects under $10,000, then higher and higher.
At the encouragement of the Navy, she went to seek out certification under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program, a business development program for women — or minority-owned small businesses.
“I went to the SBA and said the Navy sent me and I’m supposed to be certified in something. I had to prove I was a half-broke, half-Mexican woman,” she says.
She became certified under 8(a) in 2001 after an extensive process, and was getting ready to graduate from the nine-year program by the end of this past August. During these nine years, her company has grown by leaps and bounds, even as Todd had some personal challenges when her late husband battled Lou Gehrig’s disease and took her attention away from the business.
The company went from a couple of employees to about 15-20, including 10-15 tradesmen. “We’re known for quality, which is very nice,” Todd says. “…The only reason I’m successful is because I have an amazing team.”
EHT Enterprises (www.ehtenterprises.com) does both competitive-bid and direct-negotiated projects, and Todd says networking and negotiating are her strengths. “I am able to listen, hear about projects and ask to help,” she says.
The most important aspect is being adaptable to the clients’ needs. In a military environment, that could mean always-changing priorities. Todd says safety is the number one consideration. “Clients are a close second but safety is number one, and I think clients appreciate that,” she says.
Most of the work is done throughout the Puget Sound region but EHT has projects as far as Idaho, including ADA-compliant retrofitting of all U.S. Postal Service buildings in the entire state of Idaho. After the Sept. 11 attacks, a lot of the work has been focused on security upgrades, and Todd says she is very impressed how serious the Department of Defense is about making that a priority.
An active member of the Homebuilders Association, Todd is a past president of the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce. She is past president and president-elect of the Puget Sound Naval Bases Association, a 64-year-old group that advocates for civilian Navy employees as well as active duty personnel and contractors.
Despite the numerous contracts, Todd says she still sees herself as a small company. She continues to wear multiple hats, from bookkeeper and negotiator to safety officer. “I’m involved on the job sites because I like to stay in touch with the projects and what’s going on,” she says.
The company has done some civilian projects but Todd says there’s plenty of work for the military. “Working with the military, I think, is unique, just like working outside the gates through the county process. Once you have systems in place and follow the rules, there’s always something to do,” she says.
Todd has found the military to be a good steward of resources, and is seeing increased demand for environmentally friendly construction. She’s preparing for the ramp-up in demand, and is currently enrolled in a training program to be credentialed for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program, the first step in being able to do LEED-certified projects.
She says she’s excited about the future of her company, and is especially looking forward to working on green projects. “I’m intrigued about the energy-savings concepts and will try to focus on the most cost-effective ways of achieving that,” she says. “We’re going to focus more on the sustainability aspect.”
