"A lot of people base construction on bricks and mortar," according to Mark Abram, president of Steelmark Construction of the Southeast, Inc. He says, "In reality, construction is about good relationships involving workers, contractors, executives and God."

Abram, the owner of a minority business enterprise, does not hesitate to credit God with his life and with his success as contractor. A little over two years ago, a construction accident left him in a coma. Nerosurgeons at University of North Carolina hospitals predicted it might be nine months after he came out of the coma before he might walk again, if he awoke from the deep sleep.

"Three days after I came out of the coma, I was walking," he said.

Abram, who just celebrated his 44th birthday, studied mechanical engineering at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Before coming to North Carolina, he worked with engineering firms in New Jersey. After arriving in the Tar Heel state, he provided construction management for the completion of two car dealerships in Raleigh. A new car customer at one of the dealerships commented on the building and was told that Abram played a major role in the construction.

The new car customer just happened to be an official with the Raleigh Housing Authority. Consequently, Abram became the Director of Engineering and Operations for the Housing Authority and held that post until 1995. He then founded his own construction company, Steelmark.

Recently, Abram's small company won the contract to erect the new barbershop in the ground floor of the Crowe Building. "This was accomplished because God put me, Peter Anylan and Mike Hill in the same place at the same time. Nobody could do that except God," he said. Anylan and Hill are executives with Capitol Broadcasting, parent company of the American Campus, LLC, known more commonly as the American Tobacco Historic District.

Abram's company boasts four full-time employees with a host of part-time workers, fluctuating in numbers as the seasons and contracts change. His pride in being a minority business owner working on a project like the Historic District, which has so much historic significance, is demonstrably exhibited in his enthusiasm as he balances answering cell phone calls with assisting his brick mason, Joe DeReubeis, start construction on the front wall of the barbershop.

Abram is also proud of the make-up of his company. He said, "It's remarkable, but just about all of the time, about a third of my employees are Caucasian, one third African American and one-third Hispanic."

As Abram points out, construction is as much about good relationships as it is about bricks and mortar. The good character of good people like Mark Abram is cemented throughout the new construction at the American Tobacco Historic District.