Go Behind the Scenes with Southeast Constructors

The Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Entrepreneur Field Days series will head to Southeast Constructors on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. During this event, small business owners will hear about and discuss building a scaling construction business and nonprofit school. The Des Moines-based company will feature Southeast Constructors and Iowa School of Construction Owner Perlla Deluca Entrepreneur. Specific topics will include building a service-based company in the trades, procurement and landing deals with city, state and federal agencies and creating a mission-driven business.

The Iowa School of Construction’s mission is to help train the construction workforce, build the Iowa workforce and help more women with entering the industry.

The goal of Entrepreneur Field Days is to seed the next generation of successful entrepreneurs by allowing business owners and community members to go behind the scenes of local entrepreneurs as they share their journey. Because the events are held on-site, entrepreneurs can get firsthand insight and experience into the business and its growth.

Read more about the upcoming Entrepreneur Field Days event and Perlla Deluca’s journey starting her own construction business and school. Read more about Southeast Constructors below:

Entrepreneur Field Days: Southeast Constructors Q+A

What is your business?

Perlla Deluca: Southeast Constructors is a construction company. I’ve been doing construction for 25 years; that’s my main business. I also have a construction school on the south side of Des Moines that is training students for free to put them in the construction workforce.

How long have you had Iowa School of Construction?

PD: We acquired the building for the school two years ago. It was an old elementary school on McKinley Ave in Des Moines. Our first cohort graduated last year, and our next cohort starts Monday. With the grants we got last year from Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of Transportation, we can afford to do one cohort per year.

Why did you decide to participate in Entrepreneur Field Days programming?

PD: The Greater Des Moines Partnership thought it would be a good match to show the work we’re doing on the south side of Des Moines for the construction industry. I also think it fit because I’m a women-owned Latina that does federal contracts with a goal of helping the community.

What are you excited about showcasing to people when they come to the event?

PD: We’re going to show off the school and explain the program. I’d like to showcase the equipment and the team, too. We don’t normally do tours, so this is a good opportunity to see the school for the first time!

Learn more about Southeast Constructors and Iowa School of Construction. You can reach out to Perlla directly at perlla@live.com. Watch this short video To see highlights of the Iowa School of Construction.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership celebrates the Greater Des Moines (DSM) entrepreneur community and helps small businesses succeed with one-of-a-kind resources and opportunities for networking. Find out how other entrepreneurs have found success by reading their stories and attending local small business events in the region.