On Oct. 30, Forbes published an excellent profile of Tracey Lackovich, President of Super-Krete International Inc. When Lackovich was building her company, she was also an NFL cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers.
She purchased the business from her father in 1999 and began the task of transforming Super-Krete into a nationally and internationally known company. Now, Super-Krete’s products include epoxy floor systems, cement overlays, paints, stains and sealants. The products are sold globally in more than 100 countries and supplied to more than 50 countries worldwide. Lackovich is quoted in the article as saying, “I hated that many associated me as ‘the cheerleader’ but thrived off the look on their faces when I’d meet them in person and represented that in the topics of concrete and business, I knew my stuff.”
Turns out, from the age of 15 Lackovich spent summers working with her father, John Holwitz, a general contractor who originally specialized in tennis court construction.
Over about a 10-year-period, Lackovich grew the company from her father’s garage to a 20,000-square-foot facility in El Cajon, California. She opened a second location in Kyle, Texas, in 2012.
The article discusses how she made the decision to change the business model after she took over the business. She also increased Super-Krete’s market presence by attending trade conventions and creating a training program — good advice for owners of businesses in any trade.
The profile is an in-depth and very interesting look at the decisions and psychology of an industry leader, with the twist that Lackovich is not a typical industry leader. She is now a wife and mother of four toddlers, including 1-year-old twins, and she says she grew the business while always staying true to who she is. “Being a woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry has been a good thing because it makes you different,” she says.
