Blair Freeman, a woman-owned business contributing to history

WELCOME BACK TO FIRST NEWS. WE ARE ALMOST A WEEK INTO WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, AND WE’RE CELEBRATING BY HEARING FROM WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE METRO AREA. TODAY, WE’RE TAKING A LOOK AT MIRANDA ADAMS AND ASHLEY CARNES. THEY’RE THE OWNERS OF BLAIR FREEMAN, THE ONLY 100% BLACK WOMAN OWNED CLASS. A CONTRACT IN NEBRASKA. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING US. THAT’S SUCH AN AMAZING THING. I MEAN, TALK ABOUT WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO START THIS BUSINESS. THANK YOU. WELL, WE RAN INTO A PROBLEM PROJECT. IT WAS ONE THAT MIRANDA WAS WORKING ON, AND WE DECIDED TO TACKLE IT TOGETHER AND FOUND OUT WE WORK WELL TOGETHER, AND WE CAN MAKE SOME BIG DIFFERENCES. SO WE DECIDED TO START IT UP AND THEN TALK ABOUT KIND OF WHAT WENT INTO STARTING THE BUSINESS, STARTING BLAIR FREMONT. I MEAN, IT WAS A LOT THAT WENT INTO IT. IT WAS A LOT OF WE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT NEXT STEPS WERE GOING TO BE. ONE THING IF WE DIDN’T THINK TOO LONG AND TOO HARD ABOUT IT, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES YOU TALK YOURSELF OUT OF TAKING THAT LEAP AND SO HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR HUSBANDS, TALK TO EACH OTHER, DID SOME PLANNING, AND THEN WE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS. AND WHEN YOU STARTED LAUGHING, THEN WHAT WERE THE GOALS FOR THE COMPANY? I THINK IT WAS BEING ABLE TO SHIFT THE WAY THAT DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN DONE. NOT TO SAY THAT IT’S BEEN DONE WRONG, BUT I THINK THAT THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE, ESPECIALLY FOR US WITH THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, AND THEN ALSO JUST GOING INTO BOTH OF THOSE INDUSTRIES AND KNOWING THAT JUST BECAUSE IT’S BEEN DONE A CERTAIN WAY DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT CAN’T BE DONE A DIFFERENT WAY. AND MAYBE LONG TERM, EVEN A BETTER WAY. AND SO FOR US, IT WAS REALLY ABOUT COMING IN AND BEING INNOVATIVE IN THOSE INDUSTRIES AND THEN TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW IS BLAIR FREEMAN KIND OF CREATING ITS OWN HISTORY AND THEN CONTRIBUTING TO WOMEN’S HISTORY. SO I THINK IT’S WE ARE SHOW UP EVERY DAY AND GIVE 100%. AND WE KNOW THAT BY DOING THAT, WE’RE GOING TO CLOSE THOSE GAPS. US SHOWING UP EVERY DAY IN OTHER WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY, BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I EMULATE WHAT’S HAPPENING THERE, OR EVEN OTHER MEN IN THE INDUSTRY SEEING IT AND SAYING AND GETTING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES INSTEAD OF CANDIDATES THAT TYPICALLY LOOK LIKE THEM TRADITIONALLY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU’RE BEING THAT ROLE MODEL, THAT INSPIRATION TO YOUNG GIRLS WHO ARE LOOKING UP TO YOU? IT’S SO IMPACTFUL. RIGHT NOW, OUR OFFICE IS MAJORITY FEMALE, AND THAT’S BOTH SITE CREWS. AND IN THE OFFICE, WHICH IN CONSTRUCTION IS ABSOLUTELY UNHEARD OF IN THE SAME THING FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR. OUR OFFICES, MAJORITY MINORITY, TYPICALLY. AND SO FOR US, WE CAN SEE THE CHANGE ALREADY BECAUSE YOU’RE OFFERING THAT SPACE WHERE PEOPLE KNOW THEY HAVEN’T HISTORICALLY BEEN SO THEY CAN SHOW UP AND KNOW THAT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THEY DON’T HAVE TO FEEL INTIMIDATED THROUGH THAT. SO IT’S REALLY IMPACTFUL FOR US TO BE LEADING THAT. I GOT A CALL FROM MY 89 YEAR OLD GRANDMOTHER LAST WEEK AND SHE WAS LIKE, BABY, Y’ALL ARE MAKING HISTORY AND YOU’RE GOING TO GO DOWN FOREVER. SO THAT WAS JUST HEARING THOSE WORDS BECAUSE WE’RE IN IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT, RIGHT? AND SO WE SEE IT BOOTS ON THE GROUND. BUT TO HEAR THAT JUST HIGH LEVEL SOMEBODY SAY THAT WE PINCH OURSELVES. YEAH. AMAZING. AND YOU’RE DOING AMAZING WORK IN THE COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, WITH 75 NORTH AND, YOU KNOW, THE AFFORDABLE PROPERTIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT ON NORTH 24TH STREET. SO, I MEAN AMAZING. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US. YEAH. SO IF YOU WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH BLAIR FREEMAN OR JUST LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, YOU CAN VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT BLAIR. FREEMAN DOT COM. ASHLEY A

Celebrating Women’s History Month: Blair Freeman, a woman-owned business contributing to history

Blair Freeman is Nebraska’s only 100% Black-woman owned Class A Contractor.

Updated: 10:12 AM CST Mar 5, 2023

Co-owners Ashley Kuhn and Miranda Adams stopped by First News Sunday to give KETV a look into the company and how they got their start. Although they experienced some challenges starting Blair Freeman, they can look back now and see how far they’ve come and what’s yet to come. Both women share how their business contributes to women’s history and how their company is impacting the Omaha community.

Co-owners Ashley Kuhn and Miranda Adams stopped by First News Sunday to give KETV a look into the company and how they got their start.

Although they experienced some challenges starting Blair Freeman, they can look back now and see how far they’ve come and what’s yet to come.

Both women share how their business contributes to women’s history and how their company is impacting the Omaha community.