Alejandra Oliver

Alejandra Oliver ditched her hospital administration role and launched American Striping Company in 2016, starting with two trucks and three employees.

Five years later, at the end of 2021, Oliver had the opportunity to partner with equity company Osceola Capital. Together with six other companies, Tendit Group, a portfolio company of Osceola Capital, will provide exterior facility maintenance services to those in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. Oliver will serve as CEO of the six companies and maintain 100% of her own staff through the transition, which she called one of her proudest accomplishments.

“The best piece of business advice I have received during my career is that when everyone thinks you are on a certain path or road, do not be afraid to take an exit,” Oliver said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would go from hospital administration to starting a striping company … I turned in my suit for a hard hat, jeans and steel toe boots. It takes grit and hard work, but you can make your luck.”

The values of all of the companies she helped to partner with are formed through staff participation, not in a vacuum, Oliver said. This helps to keep the values authentic and honest. Oliver said she lives by growth, initiative, resilience and tenacity (G.R.I.T.). “Coupled with respect and communication and you have a solid foundation to build a strong workplace, relationship or even friendship founded on trust and collaboration,” she said.

Over the next five years, Oliver wants to help build Tendit to become the premier provider for highway and exterior facility services in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. “On a personal note, many of us grew up believing in the notion that an undergraduate degree is the only path to success. I want to continue to help support men and women in their pursuit of growth, degree or no degree,” Oliver said. “Construction has taught me that G.R.I.T., resilience and hard work are the framework for success, not always what is taught in a formal classroom.”

Oliver is one of 12 leaders named a titan hall of famer. “I believe being an employer today is no longer about simply providing a job, it is about focusing on the employee and their families as a whole,” Oliver said. “What are his or her dreams, and how can my team and I help them to get there? I hope in some small or big way I will be remembered for creating a work environment that inspired change, innovation and, above all else, dream catching.”