Iam Tucker, a former Baton Rouge police officer and daughter of legendary civil rights activist and businessman Robert H. Tucker, was named the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2024 Louisiana Small Business of the Year in March. Was chosen.
Her father founded civil engineering contractor ILSI Engineering in the early 1990s after years of activism, local politics and business success.
Establishing a foothold in a competitive business was a daunting task for the father, but building that foundation as a second-generation owner was a mountain in itself to climb. Especially when you're dealing with the hard-working, under-paid public sector. It will also enter the private sector.
The SBA citation says of Mr. Tucker: “As her second-generation owner of ILSI for over 15 years, she has won over 100 contracts with various state, local, and federal agencies. She has grown the company from 9 to 50 employees. ” with revenues of over $2.7 million. ”
She is also involved in the $1 billion River District Project, the largest public-private project in Louisiana history. Fortunately, she won her company's first overseas contract, working on a public infrastructure project in Peru.
In this week's Talking Business, Ms. Tucker reflected on the legacy she inherited from her father, who passed away last March at the age of 82. She will be heading to Washington, D.C., to attend National Small Business Week, where she will have a chance to be selected for America's Best Small Business Award.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You talked about how much your father meant to you and the example he set. For those who don't know about his accomplishments, let me tell you a little about him.
He was the first African American assistant to New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu. It was about unifying New Orleans, not just about people being able to go to the same restaurants. It was to integrate New Orleans economically. I mean, he was involved in so many different things, not just business. He, along with Don Hubbard and other civic leaders, was instrumental in negotiating a peaceful resolution to Desire's infamous standoff between the Black Panthers and the New Orleans Police Department in 1970. The NOPD was ready for war. I mean, they went in there with tanks – real tanks and Rambo-esque bullets strapped to their chests. However, my father and the others were able to negotiate peacefully after about two days of confrontation.
He worked in both the Landrieu and Marc “Dutch” Morial administrations, and later assisted in the campaigns of various politicians, including Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Then he moved to the business world and had to become a pioneer in that field as well. ILSI talks about his and his legacy.
The company is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. This is an important accomplishment for any company in the region, but especially for Black businesses in New Orleans as infrastructure companies. It was under his father's direction for his 15 years and I bought the company from my father. It took me eight years to pay him back. I think my father would be very proud of me today. I think he's proud of his company. When I took over this company in June 2008, he had about nine or 10 employees, and he had about four contracts that were about to expire. Some people look at me and say, “Oh, you did a good job of lifting your leg.'' I didn't step into a $10 million business.
Are there still many obstacles to doing business in Louisiana, especially for Black-owned businesses?
It's a tough place to do business. My father used to say that in business he has three parts. First, you need to get a job. Second, you have to get the job done. And third, he must be paid for his work. Sometimes the work is difficult to access. Even if you join the team, you have to fight to keep what was agreed upon. Then that work probably won't start for about six or seven months because the government is moving very slowly. After that, you still need to get paid for your work, and you only get paid if the prime (contractor) gets paid. We would appreciate it if you could pay within 90 days.
When it comes to access issues, do you think there are still barriers for minority businesses and women contractors like yourself? Do you think there are programs to ensure fair access to contracting, not only in the public sector but also in the private sector? do you think it's still necessary? Do you like the SBA's 8(a) development program that you've been a part of?
It's a scary world right now for (disadvantaged businesses), businesses owned by people of color and minorities, and even businesses owned by women. There are attacks on these business development programs across the country. It began with the Supreme Court's attack on affirmative action. (Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to curb affirmative action in higher education, ending 40 years of precedent that allowed universities to broadly consider applicants' race in admissions decisions.) )
Now it's trickling into very well-coordinated, very well-planned attacks on these business development programs. It's scary because while all of these programs definitely need improvement, they are still essential to helping small businesses enter the business. Including them is essential because there are so many people in my company, including the company my father started, who wouldn't have had this opportunity without them.