Over the past 12 years, Donovan Wadsworth has taken what started as an opportunity from a friend that he says was “way outside” his personal comfort zone into a  company with more than $1 million in total revenue.

Started in 2000, Wadsworth’s venture, D&M Contracting, is a full-service fire, water and wind damage repair business for locally and nationally owned insurance companies headquartered in Richmond, Ky.

Part of the business philosophy that has contributed to his company’s successful growth, he says, is to provide excellent quality work to his clients and give back to his community. And that, he says, is a philosophy that includes the entire company.

“With the pursuit of bigger projects, more revenues and greater feats, it is paramount to me that the culture I drive and teach is one that never, ever forgets the individual customer,” Wadsworth says. “They ultimately pay our bills, allows us to grow and keep us in business. My relationship with our customers is still and individual relationship and still the most important focus.”

D&M Contracting’s solid growth and sound business practices have helped Wadsworth earn the  U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2012 Small Business Person of the Year award for the state of Kentucky. He’s also a contender for the SBA’s National Small Business Person of the Year award, which will be presented during National Small Business Week conference in Washington D.C. on May 20-22.

The customer-first philosophy has helped the company earn an overall A rating on Angie’s List. Members of Angie’s List mention that the company has an excellent local reputation and the company makes an effort to explain project details in a practical and logical way. 

In looking back, Wadsworth says building a company from the ground up is one of the greatest things about being a small business owner. “Knowing that I have played a part in taking this business from absolutely nothing and turning it into a business with unlimited possibilities is the best part,” he says.

Part of D&M’s growth can also be attributed to the information and guidance it’s received as a client of the Eastern Kentucky University Small Business Development Center in Richmond, as well as an SBA guaranteed loan to finance its growth.

Wadsworth says he’s optimistic about the future of his company, including building a strong financial foundation, strong cash flow and a better bottom line – ultimately adding up to a strong company for the future. A company Wadsworth says will stand the test of time.

Since 1963, the U.S. Small Business Administration has used the National Small Business Week to recognize small business owners and entrepreneurs in all 50 states and U.S. territories. The majority of businesses on Angie’s List are small businesses and, as a former small business itself, Angie’s List is happy to join with the SBA to celebrate these companies and highlight the importance they play in each of their communities.