“ELITE is really good at helping you understanding the ins and outs of your business and what you want for your business. They make you take a look at your vision, your shortcomings, what you’re doing well and what kind of strategies you can use.”  

Construction company poised for growth seeks vertical integration and market expansion

When Katharine Yaroshak acquired The Vallejo Company in 2013 from its retiring owner, the company was a 14-employee trucking company with a small water division. 

Since then, Yaroshak has grown Vallejo to 84 employees with trucking, gas line, water and sewer, hard restoration and underground drilling divisions, supporting $4 million to $5 million construction projects.

It’s quite a success story for Yaroshak, who earned two art degrees before graduating from the University of Akron with a bachelor’s in surveying engineering. While she’s put her artistic skills at work as Vallejo chief – “I designed our logo,” she says with a smile – she’s more laser-focused on building a vertically integrated business. 

Providing services primarily to municipalities and private utility owners in northeastern Ohio, Yaroshak says one of her big goals is to rely less on subcontractors. Another is to expand into new markets.

“I’d like to evolve this company into more of a general contractor and expand further into Ohio. But that takes capital as well as additional certifications.”

She’s working with ELITE Americas to bring her long-term vision to reality. 

ELITE’s innovative executive consulting program for small and mid-sized businesses is focused on helping companies like Yaroshak’s become global leaders. ELITE engages with business leaders to help them formalize a vision of where they want to be, understand the business practices and strategies necessary to get there, pivot from activities that may be slowing them down, and access resources, including capital, necessary for growth. 

 Katharine Yaroshak, President of The Vallejo Company, first heard that ELITE might be able to help with her long-term goals through the Greater Cleveland Partnership, which had helped her with an energy audit and funding for a new headquarters. She enrolled in a cohort of companies based in Northeast Ohio and began the program in October 2020.

Vallejo has participated in two modules so far, saying the experience has been powerful.

“ELITE is really good at helping you understanding the ins and outs of your business and what you want for your business,” she says. “They make you take a look at your vision, your shortcomings, what you’re doing well and what kind of strategies you can use.”

She says an important benefit is the ability to help a business take a broader perspective.

“So far, I’ve gained a much better grasp on the current market and the strengths Vallejo brings to it as a woman-owned and safety conscious contractor, which can allow you to take advantage of certain parts of the market.” 

While Vallejo had a company vision and mission, she says ELITE helped her dissect them and understand how they should align with each other. 

“It was interesting to see a new take on it,” she says. “There wasn’t a lot that had to be changed, but it was extremely helpful to understand that the vision needs to be something that is integrated throughout the company, from management all the way down to new hires. It also was also enlightening to consider the company mission as a step-by-step process to achieve that vision.”

Yaroshak says ELITE has helped her understand more fully the financial aspects of the business and how focusing on one aspect can “change financial growth in a big way. I’ve learned a lot.” 

She says that one of the challenges of her business has been the large amount of growth in a short amount of time and how to predict revenues in a seasonal industry. “Now, I’m much more comfortable.”

Yaroshak says she would advise any company with an opportunity to engage with ELITE to do so. 

“It’s an excellent investment if you are looking to grow or take advantage of an opportunity and not sure how to get there,” she says. “And just digging apart your company and understanding every little piece you can take advantage of has been very eye-opening, and has resulted in a really strong plan to show someone who may want to invest in us.”