David Honda has been president of DS Honda Construction Inc.
for more than 40 years. He started the company after having sold out of another business he had co-founded, Beverly Hills design firm Spacemakers Inc. “I sold my share of the company back to my partners and started DS Honda Construction, as I also started my family,” Honda said. “Spacemakers was a large tenant improvement company and I wanted to slow down and enjoy my new family.” Slowing down has not been something that Honda has done, however. Projects by his namesake firm include interior construction of medical facilities, banks and offices. He also built the Honda Financial Center in Van Nuys. He has served on boards and commissions throughout the Los Angeles area and as a general contractor on projects. He also served as an industry inspector for the State Contractor’s License Board.Question: What inspired you to start your business? Answer: My father and grandfather were gardeners after the war, by choice because no one would hire them for work. They were forced to be entrepreneurial to survive. I saw how hard my dad worked seven days a week and later in their lives, my mom worked for the Judy Stores, a women’s apparel distributor in the malls, as a warehouse worker. My construction business was established in 1980. My first jobs were remodeling the Directors Guild of America; building the 1984 Special Olympic venues for Easton Sports Development Foundation and working for the Japanese American National Museum.
Do you like being your own boss? Do you ever think about trading it for a steady paycheck?Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Responsibility for employees is a tremendous task, managing cash flow for payroll and today’s legal (liability) placed on HR is tough. I have thought of changing to a steady paycheck, but I am in the twilight of my life and companies want the young 40ish group. With age comes wisdom, which is a trial by fire. Gray hair is a badge of honor; we earned those grays.
What’s the biggest challenge your business has faced? And how did you deal with it?In 1981, there was the savings and loan crash. I had many entities: A construction company, a development company, architectural company, drywall company, mortgage company. I closed all, except the construction company. Got back up and started over. In 1994 after the Northridge Earthquake, I filed for Chapter 7. Lost all my holdings, but I got backup and continued. During the 2008-2010 recession, I lost all my holdings and took eight years to get back up and start again. Failure is not in my vocabulary. I believe one only fails if you don’t get backup, dust yourself off and hang the shingle back up – a little tarnished but hanging straight.What’s your favorite story about running your business?The people I meet, and networks developed. I have been fortunate to meet people for my projects that I would have never dreamed of sitting and talking with face to face, i.e. Chairman of Honda Motors-Japan; President of Sanyo Electronics-Japan; Jack Ma, chair of Alibaba.com, he is a funny guy; and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe discussing AB32, a descendent of the Japan Kyoto Agreement (that reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the state), which was not accepted by the U.S., yet was passed in the State of California.Has being Asian affected your business?I don’t think so. I had been raised to be color blind growing up in Pacoima and attending San Fernando High School. I know firsthand the effects of not being in the mainstream and being naive to the topic of race. I was one of the very few Japanese sansei (third generation not speaking the native language) that worked in the construction field. Circa 1980. a downtown high-rise management firm asked that I not bid any work because of the influx of Japanese companies buying trophy buildings. Later, circa 1992, I was applying for minority status for my company. I was denied certification because I was Japanese. The appeal panel said minority programs were for Blacks and Hispanics, not Asians. We Japanese were considered “white” at the time. A blatant discrimination but I felt it was not necessary to fight with the certification authority. My dad had always said, “Never fight with stupid, sometimes one cannot tell the difference.” Against my legal counsel, I didn’t pursue it.What advice would you give someone who wanted to start their own business?Know thy self. Know that you set out to accomplish many goals; in the end, it’s how much you enjoyed the journey. Network, network, network. One person one day will open the door to many opportunities and be prepared to take the opportunity – step forward through the door.– Mark R. Madler