Spotlight: Damako Ransom
Our commitment to workforce development
At HUSARCH, our commitment to workforce development is part of our origin story.
As one of the only Section 3 architectural and sustainability consulting firms, we owe much of our start to HUD’s Section 3 Program, so we’re always looking for opportunities to help fellow Section 3 businesses and housing residents experience the same success. One of our key strategies: energy sector workforce development for community members with past construction experience.
To that end, for the second spotlight in our series, we’re excited to introduce you to Damako Ransom, Manager of Rail Car Appearance at Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and former HUSARCH Facility Assessor.
You never know where one “yes” can take you
Damako Ransom has lived many lives. Before his time at HUSARCH, Damako was a hair transplant technician turned student turned Section 3 small business owner. In 2014, after leaving his hair transplant technician job to go back to school, Damako was looking for gig-work to help pay the bills. He decided to purchase a plow truck, figuring he’d plow some driveways for extra cash. But pretty soon, Damako was winning large contracts with institutions like the Chicago Housing Authority, purchasing more trucks, and managing subcontractors.
One day, a few years into Damako’s plowing business, he got a phone call from HUSARCH Founder/CEO, Chyanne Husar. HUSARCH needed snow plow services and Chyanne had found Damako’s contact information in the Chicago Housing Authority Directory. Could he add HUSARCH’s building to his route? Initially, Damako didn’t think the contract was a good fit—HUSARCH’s building was off his route and much smaller than the housing complexes he typically plowed. But something made him say yes. He thought, you never know where one “yes” can take you.
Fast forward to 2023
After six years of growing his plowing business, including several seasons clearing snow at HUSARCH’s building, the pandemic arrived and Damako’s contracts started drying up. Within weeks, Damako found himself in a tough spot—no contracts and loads of leases for large vehicles that he no longer needed. That’s when that “yes” all those years back suddenly came into play. In a casual conversation with Chyanne, Damako learned about HUSARCH’s workforce development efforts, and within just a few months, rather than clearing snow from the sidewalk and parking spaces outside of HUSARCH’s building, Damako, a newly hired Facility Assessor, was inside HUSARCH’s offices, seated at a desk.
Time to stop running
Damako remembers his first days at HUSARCH (affectionately referred to as “HUS”) as a whirlwind with new terminology, new colleagues, and so many questions. But when Damako reflects on those early days, what stands out most in his memory is the baseline sense of trust that welcomed him at the front door. He remembers feeling almost immediately trusted—trusted to ask questions when he had them, trusted to seek support when he needed it, trusted to test new skills and figure out new solutions.
Even though Damako was a seasoned professional and entrepreneur, he’d always shied away from technology. In the past, when computer skills were needed, he found someone to help – a secretary, a subcontractor, a friend. In his own words: “I’d always run from the computer.” But at HUSARCH, he knew it was time to stop running; Damako was done with feeling intimated by technology. Instead, he began learning his way around a computer, practicing Excel, and getting comfortable with virtual meeting tools. Project by project, day by day, Damako built his computer skills and confidence.
But it wasn’t just his computer skills Damako was growing, it was also his leadership, presentation, and management skills. In meetings, when Damako might have otherwise been inclined to sit back and let others speak, at HUSARCH he recalls being invited to share his perspective and learning new ways of offering feedback and insights. Damako recalls that HUSARCH’s staff meeting structure—where meeting leadership rotates on a weekly basis—created a safer space to “step-up” and build his confidence. “At HUSARCH, I was always watching. Learning. Observing. Practicing. That’s basically what my time at HUS was. Watching and learning – knowing it would lead to something. I didn’t know what. But, I thought, while I’m here, I’m just gonna do my best!”
Landing the dream job
After a year-and-a-half on the job, Damako knew it was time to apply what he’d learned at HUSARCH to his next opportunity. For years, he’d dreamed of landing a job at Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), but each time he’d applied (more than 15 times), he’d been turned down. Thank goodness he didn’t let those past rejections get in the way, because this time was different. With new computer, leadership, and management skills under his belt, and a project management certification on his resume, Damako was offered the largest shop in the city as the Manager of Rail Car Appearance in the Rail Maintenance Department at CTA.
These days, Damako manages 21 staff, all responsible for making sure that subway cars are cleaned and serviced so that they can keep Chicagoans moving. “It’s non-stop. From the phones ringing to the doorbells buzzing to the safety horns sounding.” Even though the culture at CTA, a large government agency with more than 10,000 employees, is very different than HUSARCH, a firm of just 12 people, Damako is convinced that it’s his time at HUSARCH that prepared him for his current role – working with a leadership team that seamlessly blended entrepreneurship skills with leadership, management, and supervisory skills inspired Damako to continue cultivating his own management and leadership style. “Seeing all those things rolled up into one was very impressive. I learned so much at HUS just from watching. Watching and learning.”
A lasting mark
Damako arrived at a critical moment in HUSARCH’s organizational journey—following the upheaval created by the pandemic—and made a lasting mark on the firm. His special knack for connecting with people meant that he, seemingly effortlessly, built relationships everywhere HUSARCH work took him. On the large assessment projects he supported, within days, Damako was on a first name basis with each of the property’s receptionists and security guards. Likewise, during Damako’s time at HUSARCH, he developed meaningful relationships with his colleagues and shared his time and wisdom generously – always the first to pitch in and offer help when help was needed. So much so, that even a year on, new staff are always eager to meet Damako (a local HUSARCH celebrity), having heard so many stories about his time with us.
Looking ahead
Our commitment to workforce development fuels our mission. Just as Damako learned new skills during his time with us, at HUSARCH, we’re shaped and inspired by the community members—from new grads to career changers—who join our team to learn new skills and advocate alongside us for sustainable and equitable communities. Looking ahead, we’re excited to formalize our training program by launching new opportunities for cohorts of career changers to gain energy efficiency assessment and inspection skills.
Stay-tuned for more spotlights as we continue to share the good work happening throughout our community.