Paul Lawson, owner and operator of Boise, Idaho-based Executive Service and Construction, has done everything he can to stay afloat after the recession and is now ready to begin expansion again. Having started in 2000, the company — known as “the one with the big red vans” — once had eight vans, 11 employees, a main shop and even an attached drive-through coffee shop.
Lawson also was a builder. The three spec homes he built and lost during the Great Recession forced him into bankruptcy. But he has refused to give up. “I have worked too hard to quit,” says Lawson. “Besides, my customer base is very loyal. I want them to be able to count on me to get the job done right.” Now his company is a one-man show with a truck Lawson built himself (pictured above).