Sakima Vongphakdy | The Entrepreneur

Presented by Members 1st Federal Credit Union

BY KATIE MAHONEY I CHIEF MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

SV Contracting is built around phrases like “making the world a better place” and “your dream remodel, our story” because they care about one thing – making their clients happy and doing it correctly.

“I’m proud of everything I do. We take a lot of pride in our work,” explains founder Sakima Vongphakdy “It’s part of why people love us so much. We make our clients happy, not just content, or ok. Happy. We don’t cut corners, we do everything by the book, and then some if possible.”

With that as a guiding principle, Sakima took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2022 after almost a decade of working in the industry for others. “You’re living paycheck to paycheck, having to be at a certain place for amount certain time, and you have enough of it one day,” he explains. “A lot of people spend half their lives in the trades. I know people doing the same thing day to day, who didn’t have enough faith in themselves to take the leap to do more or to do better for themselves. That’s true for everyone, not just the trades.”

Taking the leap has paid off for Sakima, with word of mouth keeping the Dover-based company busy year-round. SV Contracting does it all – from framing and decking, to masonry, electrical and plumbing, and more, for commercial and residential customers. “Give me some money and a plot of land and I can do the rest,” says Sakima. They recently did a significant amount of the work converting the former Sheraton Hotel in New Cumberland into ReVi Harrisburg Studio Suite Apartments and also worked on renovations for Scozzaro’s Old Mill Inn in New Oxford. “You gotta find something you’re good at and enjoy, and I’m really good at this,” he shares as motivation to start his own company, along with the volume of calls he received. “Enough people started calling me and needing me. I showed up, I did good work. And the rest is history.”

Sakima’s focus on customer happiness and dedication to doing the best job possible is engrained in him. “All we can do at the end of the day is try to make the world a better place – it’s the way I look at everything,” he shares.

“Somebody calls you looking for help, I’ll do everything I can to help them, make it better than the way I found it. It’s the way I was raised, the way I was taught.”

When asked what it means to be called a “changemaker” he ties it back to his company motto. “Making the world a better place, being the change. If everyone is against you, don’t be like everyone else, be something different, do something different. Take the leap of faith and believe in yourself and do what you want to make yourself happy. There are realistic guidelines and bills to pay, but it’s not impossible, the only thing stopping you is fear and common sense – just go do it.”