EA189: Building a Large Firm by Starting Small with Tabitha Ponte of Ponte Health [Podcast]

Building a Large Firm by Starting Small with Tabitha Ponte of Ponte Health Tabitha Ponte is a licensed architect and builder, a philanthropist, a mother and a wife who’s leading Ponte Health. She’s based in Orlando, Florida, specializing in single source delivery, resources management and best outcomes serving the healthcare sector exclusively. This week on EntreArchitect Podcast, Building a Large Firm by Starting Small with Tabitha Ponte of Ponte Health. Origin Story Tabitha was seven or eight years old when she told her mother how she felt about spacial structures. She felt like she saw the void, not the stuff. In the car in Venezuela, where she spent her childhood, Tabitha’s mom told her all about architecture and engineering. Her mind was made up: she was going to be an architect. Tabitha had family members who were in architecture, one of whom designed and built his own house. She spent significant amounts time in that house and vividly remembers the influence that the fact that he built it himself had on her. She was very involved in music as a child, but always knew that she wanted to attend architecture school. She went to architecture school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and worked all through college. Because of this, she actually finished her IDP hours before she graduated college. Tabitha worked for three different firms all though college, and was eligible for her licensure exams the year she graduated. She worked to learn the business of architecture and construction from the inside. When she graduated she was given the opportunity to step into a leading role as an architectural project manager. Everything fell apart when the market crashed. Firms disappeared overnight and work halted. All of that eventually lead her into Chicago. She had visited Chicago previously, and thought that one day she may work there. Because of the market crash, she didn’t pursue architecture as her graduate degree; Tabitha studied construction instead at Illinois Tech, receiving a management and engineering degree. Tell us about a pivotal change in your career. Tabitha has worked to establish a holistic self in this field who is capable of design, resources management, leading job site and more. She wanted to create a school geared toward that kind of development of sharing what she knew, but felt so much pressure when working on a project to create a school. She got incredibly sick, and was required to make some serious life changes. A little over a year ago, she suffered a stroke. That was the last straw in choosing to walk away from the stress that was making her physically ill and stop pushing against a system that was fighting her. Where did you go next? Tabitha dropped everything in Chicago and traveled to fifteen states. She climbed several mountains and found so much bliss there that she thought she might stay. The cold of Chicago followed her to Portland, and she was ready to head back to Florida and to her family. She dove into public works construction and asset management, and found that the government agencies loved her: she’s licensed and could cross over to each different side and play each part well. While Tabitha was pregnant, she made the intentional choice to work from home. Her new look on life allowed her the time to be home with her daughter, read for personal development, exercise, and eat well. How did the transition into your new business happen? Tabitha remembers thinking that she didn’t want to be limited to construction administration rather than being in the field. She...

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