#049 - Today we visit with Earl Faust, Founder and President of Cirius Engineering, LLC., an electrical and lighting design firm started in Hayward.  Earl fell into this line of work by accident - he got an internship in college at a construction firm as a mechanical engineer but found electrical engineering.  Later, a former employer inspired him to be an entrepreneur.

“What got me to start my own business as well as what I mentioned earlier to actually give me the push, I had an employer who said you should think about starting your own business. And she was putting me in positions where I was networking with other contractors.”

Earl was focused on getting his business started in 2020 and thus did not experience much hardship during the pandemic.  He used 2020 as a networking year, attending as many pre-bid meetings as possible so when 2021 came, he was ready to go.

“At the end of 21 is when I got one project and it was coming into 22. Earlier in 22, that's when we actually started on this one project, which was actually another affordable housing project down in San Jose. That was my actual very first project and then from there I got the Liberation Park project in Oakland.”

Earl learned about the Liberation Park project from the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.  The Oakland Black Cultural Zone is building a 119 unit residential building at Liberation Park, near Eastmont Mall and next door will be a market hall.

Be sure to listen until the end to Earl’s plan to make Cirius Engineering an international company.