Saturday’s
Child
By Kevin Kipp
Anthony Thompson President and CEO of Kwame Building Group
“‘Kwame’ means ‘born-on-Saturday’ in Ghana,” says Anthony Thompson.
He’s president & CEO of Kwame Building Group Inc., a construction
management firm he decided to start—on a Saturday—in 1991.
Kwame Thompson is also Tony’s younger brother’s name. “He was
going into kindergarten when I was going into college,” says
big brother. He was a cute little brother then. He’s still a
cute little brother, but now he’s a big-time attorney in [Bryan
Cave’s] construction law division.”
Readers may also recognize his mother’s name, Betty Thompson,
the 72nd district’s state representative. Before Jeff City,
she served on the University City City Council for 18 years,
and worked for Buzz Westfall in the county executive’s office.
“Growing up, we had a balance in our lives,” Thompson says.
“Mom loves and trusts everybody; life is beautiful. Dad…he doesn’t
trust anybody.”
Mr. Thompson was a field rep for GMAC. “He taught us the value
of a buck,” Tony Thompson says of his father, “but more importantly,
the value of work. He’d wake us up on Saturday morning, and
say, ‘You’re going to do something, but it won’t be lying in
bed.’”
Mr. Thompson was also a talented musician, whose pursuit of
that avocation reinforced discipline and work ethic in the Thompson
kids.
“An accident threatened his life when I was in junior high,”
Tony Thompson says. “That was a turning point. He made it clear
that we would finish college.”
The message got through: Tony has four degrees…a bachelor of
arts in environmental design from the University of Kansas,
a B.S. in architectural engineering and an M.S. in civil engineering
from Washington University, and an MBA in finance from Webster
University. His Wash U. master’s emphasized construction management,
but he says he uses the finance training most of all.
Somewhere in there, the U. City High School graduate found time
to meet, court and marry Kim Royal, his wife of 13 years. They
have two children: Kristin, 11, and Michael Anthony, 9.
He also found time for ever-increasing responsibilities in employment
with the Army Corps of Engineers, Monsanto and Anheuser-Busch.
Mr. Thompson didn’t stop inspiring Tony just because the kids
had kids. “Dad went back a year ago to finish his degree,” Tony
Thompson says. That sent a message to the rest of us.
Somewhere along the line, Tony Thompson also learned something
about responsibility to others.
“It’s truly
important to share and give back,” he says. “Kwame has a sincere
commitment to creating opportunity.”
That’s what you want in a growing company. Kwame employs 65
people, up from 45 in October 1999. Most (70 percent) are minorities,
and most have or are pursuing advanced degrees. They bring all
manner of skills, from computer specialist to professional electrical
engineers.
Thompson says his is one of the region’s “fastest growing pure
construction management firms,” overseeing projects exclusively
as an owner’s agent, independent from the architectural, engineering
and construction firms.
Employment at Kwame promises in-house training, tuition reimbursement
and early assignment of responsibilities. “Our employees could
work for some other major companies for five or 10 years before
they get a taste of the projects they get involved with here,”
Thompson says.
“People ask, ‘Why aren’t more blacks in leadership and management
positions on large construction projects?’” Thompson answers
his own question: “Mostly clients look for 20 years of experience.
Twenty years ago, we didn’t have the opportunity to take significant
roles in these projects. I’m proudest of the opportunities we’re
creating for young engineers,” Thompson says.
“If I don’t create the opportunities,” he reasons, “who’s going
to do it?”
Kwame’s client list includes Webster University, Washington
University, the City of St. Louis, and the Orlando, Fla., Airport,
Thompson says. Kwame is a management partner with Parsons Brinckerhoff
on the Cross County Metro-Link, and was recently awarded program
management by the Missouri Department of Transportation for
Route 367.
“You don’t have to have a thousand employees to manage a multi-million
dollar project,” Thompson says. “You can do it with a few good
men and women and technology.”
Asked where he wants to take Kwame, Thompson quotes Emerson:
The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity.
Thompson explains, “We are a progressive firm hallmarked by
the agility, dedication, competence and enthusiasm you find
in small high-tech firms. We also provide clients the sophistication
and value-added they expect from larger firms.
“We’re not trying to be any other company,” he continues. “We
take the good things. We’ve learned from previous employers,
projects, relationships. We throw out the bad stuff and try
to be creative with the rest.
Any day of the week
Kevin Kipp runs Bubble Communications, a creative services
and community relations firm in St. Charles.
