Meet Tony Nguyen | General Contractor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
The decision to move to California in 2014 was one of the hardest decisions. We had a construction business back home in Minnesota that I started with two of my best friends. The decision to leave was something I knew I needed inside of me to push me to another level. My wife with then 2 year old daughter and our two dogs packed everything up we could in three pods, sold everything else and flew out to the west coast. Leaving family and close friends to a new state we had limited contacts in definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. It forced me to humble myself and learn the new environment we were in as we navigated our new life.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our business is Nandco Construction. We are a general contractor that focuses primarily on residential construction projects. I started it officially in 2018 here in California. I have been in construction since 2006 starting back in MN. But when we moved here in 2014 it was a transition that was very humbling.

Before starting Nandco, I was working on for an investment firm based in San Diego from 2014 to 2015 as a Project Manager. I was living in Woodland Hills at the time and wanted to get some experience in the SoCal market in this sector and they were one of the only ones that offered a position for their LA market. I was being paid $15/hr and would have to make weekly trips to San Diego. That taught me a lot of what I did and did not want for myself. Once I realized they weren’t going to put me in a position to win, I started venturing out doing construction management on the side for some smaller investors. I was able to showcase my skills in project management and that put myself and the smaller investor in a position to work together moving forward in a new joint venture. I just posed photos on instagram of our projects and then the DM’s started to come in and word of mount got out about our work.

Parlay that with my contacts and networking skills, projects for homeowners started to come in waves. As soon as all of the projects started to come in, I realized that I needed to focus more on the operations of the business and position ourself to handle the scaling that was to come. So I built a team around me of younger and hungry personnel to help me grow the business.

Lessons I learned are to always always always look ahead. I have been taught to view things right to left and I am consistently preaching this to my guys. I’ve come to the realization not everyone knows what right to left thinking is. I’ve also learned that integrity is a must when running a business. You have to stick to your word and put your client’s best interest at the top.

I want the world to know that we are here to change the view on the construction industry as a whole. Contractors have such a bad rap and we are here to switch that narrative. Along with the shortage of labor as these older guys are getting phased out due to retirement and other reasons, we are trying to make trade school and construction in general can be and is a cool industry to be in.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ever since we moved here to LA 9 years ago it has always been the same areas we take guests. It would be K-town for the good eats including night outings. Santa Monica pier to walk and soak in the environment. Malibu is always nice to take for some lunch and ocean vibes. Just cruising down the PCH will really do it for some. The Grove and Americana are always nice to take people to get their shipping fix in.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife is definitely my solid foundation. She allowed me to do me. She takes care of the home front as I am building and running the business. That allows me to focus on the growth and still have time to be a present father to my two daughters. Jesse Yang and Shanahan Yang, for trusting me and giving me a chance on their projects.  Working with them has allowed me to hone my skills and display the work.

Website: www.nandcoconstruction.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nandcoconstruction