Anniversary Q&A with Greg Kolenovsky
As part of our continuing 10 year anniversary celebrations, we sat down with Greg Kolenovsky – one of Trigon’s managing partners – to take a look back on Trigon’s history and a look forward to its future.
Q. What made you want to start Trigon?
A. There was a part of me that always wanted to try to start something on my own or as part of a small group. I thought starting a small business could be a very rewarding experience that would allow some flexibility and opportunities not generally available by working at a large company. In late 2008, I started thinking about that much more seriously and approached Sal, Lisa, and Michelle with the idea. After some initial discussions, we decided to move forward with the idea, started some planning, and eventually pulled the trigger on what would become the official start of Trigon Associates in May 2009.
Q. What moment or moments stand out as turning-points or highlights for you?
A. It’s hard to pick just one or two. However, I would say that certainly one of the biggest ones was being on the team selected in 2010 for a large infrastructure program with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), West Bank/Gaza mission. This was a huge thing for the company from a business standpoint, due to the size of the program itself and Trigon having a fairly significant role during its execution. … That project was also our introduction to USAID and the international development market, in general, and it put us “on the map” in this area. That opportunity led to Trigon successfully winning a Global Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract as prime with USAID, and we’ve since been awarded two (2) task orders under our IDIQ contract: a construction management services related to the design and construction of large schools for the Jordan Mission and another with the Vietnam Mission for a large environmental remediation project at a former airbase near Ho Chi Minh City. These are things I honestly never really thought we would be involved with when we first started Trigon 10 years ago.
Q. If you could go back and speak to 2009 you, what would you tell him?
A. I would tell myself to continue to be aggressive and stay hungry and never get complacent, even when things seem to be going extremely well. The A&E world can be a very cyclical thing…you will have your ups and your downs. Capitalize on the up cycles but be as prepared as you can be for the down cycles. And during any of the trying times during down cycles, remain as positive and committed as you can. It is from fighting through adversity and challenges that you learn the most and feel the most rewarded from when you come through on the back end.
#Trigoniversary #10years #GoTrigon
