Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Ambriz.
Hi Ana, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Hello! I’m Ana Ambriz, a proud mother of 4 fabulous kids and a Fort Worth business owner in the building industry.
Although I love Texas, my hometown is Chicago so I’m a Bears fan – big time! I grew up on the Southside of Chicago, and as the song Bad Bad Leroy Brown says, it was a tough part of the town. My parents raised me and my two siblings, an older brother and a sister. My father was a Mexican immigrant who got his start in the US as a laborer, but he worked himself towards being an electrician and eventually settled in robotics. My mom was a US native from a railroad family and a homemaker. I had the usual hometown connections in Chicago, but as you can imagine, it was a challenging neighborhood environment.
When I was 13, my dad decided to relocate the family to Mexico and start a shoe business. The adjustment from the mid-west US to Mexico was not easy for a teenage girl. I missed my friends back in Chicago and cried almost every day. I did, however, assist my dad’s business with the back-office work, which gave me an early experience of being in a small business. Living in Mexico meant, I HAD to pick up Spanish, which is now a fantastic capability in my current business in Texas. Our family moved back to the US when I was 17, this time we didn’t stay in Chicago too long. We relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota.
During my young adult years, I remained in Minnesota to begin my professional life in Banking where I got my first job at Wells Fargo. I moved sideways across other retail banks where I managed to move up from being a part-time teller to a phone banker for Bremer Bank. My two amazing older daughters were born here. Before leaving I was hired by a good friend to help her with some bookkeeping. Around 2010, I moved to Texas for a change of scene where I dedicated some time back to education and eventually transitioned to accounting. I’ve always been great with numbers and financial management aspects, such as checks and balance, always made a lot of sense to me. Within the year I had my two youngest children here in Texas.
What led you to start your own business?
In 2018, I found myself working a full-time in-house bookkeeper in Mansfield. While trying to maintain a home and raise 4 children on my own I knew I needed a flexible working schedule and needed to come home with some more money. Knowing I had a soon-to-be college student at home my mind would race trying to figure out a solution that would allow me to be more involved in my children’s life while still managing to pay our cost of living.
I was in accounting in the structural steel industry – rebars, to be exact. If you’re not familiar with rebars (‘re enforced bars’), they are the steel bars that are embedded in concrete to provide tensile strength. I’m sure you’ve seen these bars sticking out of unfinished concrete columns or as grids in pavements. The size of the market and the industry really caught my eye. These are tangible materials that I supply and I’m always proud having been part of a finished building site.
How did you launch your business?
Initially, I started with a business plan to start my own tax office. My initial strategy was to partner with my best friend Jami from Minnesota, who already has her business established there for over 10 years. Our plan was to open a tax/accounting/bookkeeping and notary office in Texas. In early 2019, I found a client in the rebar sales business that was in need of a full-time in-house bookkeeper. After working with him for only several months I started to see the gains and knew quickly that I also wanted to be part of the industry. I was very interested in joining the building industry in my community since most, if not all, new construction projects require rebar.
After much consideration and consultations with several individuals in the industry, I decided I wanted in! I made it my primary business to learn as much about structural steel as I could. At our facility and beyond, I asked questions, walked around with a notebook and wrote everything down. I was prepared for a challenge and a steep learning curve, but I also knew that success would follow with the right moves and decisions.
Towards the end of 2019, I founded AMP Materials LLC. The company started with word of mouth, and I approached several of my contacts in the building industry. Since then, we have a fully established materials, project management and delivery capabilities and our current focus is marketing for a higher volume of bid opportunities.
What help did you receive while setting up your business?
In early 2020 I reached out to my local SBA office for information on applying for business grants in my area since I knew funds would be required. I was connected with Business Advisor Kemmiko Grant that became my mentor. She was very informal and was able to guide me and help me with Certifications. She brought confidence to me and I felt I had a team behind me and I wasn’t out here swimming alone hoping not to drown. We worked together at my pace as she assigned me homework such as:
– Opening my LLC
– Starting and finalizing a Business Plan
– Marketing Plan
– Operations and Financial Planning
– Executive Summary
During this time, I became aware of the certifications that would grant me government contracts and how they benefit my business. I started my certifications and utilized her and all the resources she provided me. This could not have come at a better time since business slowed down due to COVID-19 in the beginning of 2020. As a result, I was able to focus and use the extra time to get my business started. My background in Business Management and Accounting had given me a previous experience in business startups. However, Kemmiko’s guidance, such as Capability Statements, was a helpful addition to formalizing my business plan.
In addition, Kemmiko connected me to an opportunity to be part of a new program with the TCC College. The grant program is the TCC EEVF Cohort 1. (TCC’s Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund) Grant recipients received grants/or loans, mentorship, and business advising to ensure our new venture starts healthy and stays competitive. We also have access to educational workshops as well as helped us connect with other entrepreneurs that are in the same stage in life. We had the opportunity to exchange stories relate to frustrations we are going thru as well as allow some marketing within each other.
The grant received has assisted me in building and maintaining my website, create and design a Logo and has funded two additional Certifications.
At this time AMP Materials has completed the following with the assistance of this program my mentor and other local SBA representatives that have been very helpful and informal with great direction.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As you can imagine, launching a new business in a heavily male-dominated and established industry can be little bumpy, to say the least. However, if you’re willing to put the effort in, there are numerous sources of support, both in the form of government agencies and industry partners. As a minority and a woman business owner, I am pleased to share only positive experience from the industry and the Texan business community in general.
Of course, the recent challenge was COVID-19, which put the brakes on sales. More recently, rebar prices increased like it’s never seen before. Staying conservative and not keeping a book log has helped me survive this. There are lots of other challenges but I’m confident they can all be overcome with hard work and some creativity. Who knows? The outcome of the challenges could create more competitive solutions in the market.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
AMP Materials is a Building Materials Supplier, supplying rebar with competitive pricing and efficient services. We supply structural steel and concrete accessories to local projects to help build our community. We also provide each project with engineering, project management and logistics services.
Our service culture provides our customers with expert advice on the materials sold and recommend the best package for their projects. AMP Materials has a very engaging business model where we review plans and ask questions to understand the needs of our customers first.
What are your plans for the future?
In the short-run, continue to grow the business by generating more sales based competitive pricing and services. We have a great business story, and I would like to share it with as many potential customers as possible. Outside of marketing and sales, I look forward in obtaining all the certifications and make in-roads to government agencies.
In the long-run, I would like to build an innovative materials company that will introduce much efficiency in the materials industry. The building supply industry has been established for a long time and the project/procurement process has undergone very little change. The current bid-based procurement process is necessary but demands a great deal of wasted efforts for the majority of the competitors. As a new entrant, I’ve been able to see many aspects of the industry from fresh angles. With all the projected infrastructure project in the US, I am hugely optimistic of opportunities ahead.
Personally, I would like to build my local community one project at a time. I also hope to grow this into a family-owned business that I can pass on to my children to own and manage. I see it in their face that they are proud of me and the business give us all much financial hope. I have been working more than ever but I have yet to be discouraged.
Do you have any final thoughts to share with us?
Sure. I have had continuous sales with a construction company out of Richardson, Texas. I supplied their project that’s located next to my son’s soccer field. The first time I realized it, I told him about it and he was very, very proud. He made sure to tell his teammates. I find pride in seeing projects that I sold materials to finalized and utilized. Talking with individuals in this industry they felt that in the begging of business but they states it has worn out. For now, I’m enjoying feeling of success and the feeling that I know I’m opening a door to an exciting future.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://ampmaterials.com/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AMP-Materials-101787555048746/#_=_
Current Certifications:
- SBE Certificate
- MBE Certificate
- HUB Certificate
- WMBE Certificate (application completed waiting on Certification)
Image Credits:
Cynthia Mancha
Melissa Adame
