After Zach Simms served as a flight officer in the U.S. Navy, flying as an electronic countermeasures officer in an EA-6B Prowler and completing multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, he came home in 2016 and launched a career as a business strategy consultant. Within a year, he realized it wasn’t the job for him. By Jessica Petrucelli
After Zach Simms served as a flight officer in the U.S. Navy, flying as an electronic countermeasures officer in an EA-6B Prowler and completing multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, he came home in 2016 and launched a career as a business strategy consultant. Within a year, he realized it wasn’t the job for him.
“I knew I wanted to run my own business, be my own boss,” Simms said.
So he launched a roofing company, which quickly turned into a couple of roofing companies, before opening a small bed-and-breakfast, and then a coffee shop. Business was good, but he had a desire to work in the construction field. After searching for opportunities in the industry, he stumbled upon Transblue.
“After being a business owner with no mentorship and no one to turn to, I found the idea of being a franchisee very comforting,” Simms said. “Construction is one of those industries that requires a strong support system, a team that you can lean on. And that’s exactly what I found in Transblue.”
Transblue, a leading general-contracting franchise specializing in managing outdoor construction projects for residential, commercial, and government clients, was founded in 2004 and franchised in 2019. The company’s business model focuses solely on managing projects, and franchise owners don’t have to have any experience in the construction industry because the construction work is all sub-contracted.
For Simms, it was the perfect fit.
“I found there’s a really genuine culture of wanting franchisees to succeed at Transblue,” Simms said. “They’re very vocal about their core values and extremely dedicated to what they’re doing.”
There was no investment in expensive equipment and materials either. Simms said his team is responsible for overseeing all commercial and residential projects and delivering high-quality results to their clients.
Simms said: “2021 was a great year – way better than I expected. The construction business can be difficult, especially when you’re combating bad weather, but I followed the plan, did exactly what the Transblue process said to do and had a really good year.”
Simms, whose franchise is located in Spokane, Washington, with a project area stretching to the Idaho border, said his military background has contributed to that success, preparing him to handle any situation that might arise.
“Naval aviation enabled me to work in an environment where I had to make big decisions rapidly,” he said. “For me, that has been such a big help in this business. I’m not bogged down in decisions, and I never second guess. I simply execute the plan.”
And he has surrounded himself with other military members as well.
“My wife, an active-duty lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, is my business partner, and 70% of my staff is veterans as well,” Simms said. “A veteran’s work ethic is second to none. If you have military experience, you always get the job done.”
Jessica Petrucelli