Client Success | Gale Construction Case Study

About

Gale Construction Company (GCC) is a woman-owned, SBA 8(a) and HUBZone-certified civil construction firm co-founded by President and owner Laura Pager. Since its beginnings as a local subcontractor in 1996, GCC has grown into a self-performing prime contractor specializing in large-scale waterway projects and design-build for the federal government. GCC has successfully delivered complex projects for clients including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Transportation, Waste Management, and Standard Parking.

Executive Summary

Construction worker overlooking a job site

When GCC entered the SBA 8(a) program in 2014, the goal was clear: build capacity and compete for larger federal contracts. While early wins were promising, scaling beyond $2–3 million in annual revenue proved challenging. Limited bonding capacity and cash flow created barriers to growth.

By leveraging SBA resources and applying best practices with guidance from Bold Concepts, GCC transformed its business. Between 2017 and 2022, the company achieved:

Revenue Growth: From $2–3 million to $13.6 million, with projections to reach $20 million by 2025
Geographic Expansion: From one office in Illinois to three offices serving six states
Staffing: Increased from 6 employees to 23

Challenges

For nearly two decades, GCC operated as a $2–3 million-a-year company. Even after entering the SBA 8(a) program, the company faced two major hurdles:

Bonding Requirements: Larger federal projects required bonding levels GCC couldn’t meet alone
Cash Flow Constraints: The cycle of finishing a job and needing 10% cash for the next bond slowed growth

“To move to a different revenue level, I needed to strengthen my bonding program and build a solid business framework,” said Laura Pager, President and Owner of GCC.

ACTIVBonding, Bold Concepts’ sister company, provided the bonding expertise GCC needed to pursue higher-value projects. At the same time, Bold Concepts focused on helping GCC establish operational systems for sustainable growth.

Solution

Bold Concepts delivered strategic advisory services designed to help GCC maximize its SBA 8(a) program benefits and prepare for long-term success. This included:

Business Planning & Strategy: Guidance on forecasting, resource allocation, and growth planning
Marketing Development: Support in positioning GCC for competitive bids and new markets
Operational Framework: Best practices for project execution, hiring, and back-office efficiency
Personnel Resources: Access to qualified project managers and superintendents to meet growing demand

“Bold teaches you how to control your company, estimate how many employees you’ll need, how to use different marketing resources, and how to hire the right project managers, they help you establish a solid framework for faster growth.”

The Results

Applying these strategies, GCC broke through growth barriers:

Quadrupled annual revenue from $2–3 million to $13.6 million
Expanded from one office to three regional locations
Increased staff from 6 to 23 employees

Pager credits SBA resources and Bold Concepts’ guidance for giving her the confidence to scale:

“If somebody had told me when I started in 2017 that I would achieve this, I wouldn’t have believed it. Now I see I have the ability to market for myself and do vertical work from the ground up—and am now on a GSA IDIQ contract.”

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"I’m bidding on more work in more regions. I never would have had the confidence had I not gone with Bold."

Laura Pager, President and Owner, Gale Construction Company

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