If you grow up in the shadow of a master professional, you'll probably want one of two things: to follow in their footsteps or run as far away from that shadow as possible. Sherry Holmes and Michael Holmes Jr. initially chose the latter path.
"My dad always says he had to bribe me to get into construction," Michael said, "but I always thought I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do something on my own. I wanted to be a firefighter when I was younger."
Sherry also wanted to go her own way. "I absolutely did not want to work in construction," she said. "I don't think it's so much not wanting to work in construction. It was definitely not wanting to do what my dad wanted me to do."
She added: "I was more of a nomad. I was traveling. All I wanted to do was work odd jobs to make money so I could go and do anything I wanted."
But, after gentle but persistent coaxing from Dad, both Michael and Sherry discovered that they'd inherited his talent and fondness for building.
"When I started working for my dad between summers in high school at 14 years old, I loved it," Michael said. "Being able to build something and working hard — sweating to finish a project and doing something different every day — was really satisfying for me."
Sherry experienced a similar revelation after her father convinced her to try working on his crew. "You get to see what you can do with your bare hands," she said. "And the people you get to help are just phenomenal."
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