Working Capital Loan Backs New Civil Construction Firm in Lufkin

Zane Adams and Jeremy Dickerson spent years building other companies before they decided to bet on themselves and build their own.

“We’ve both made a lot of money for a lot of people,” Adams recalled telling Dickerson. “How about we try to make some money for ourselves for once?”

That conversation, in late 2025, led the two men to launch ZJ Industries, a start-up civil construction firm based in Lufkin, Texas. The company focuses on earthwork and infrastructure development, with services that include planning, clearing, grubbing, smoothing, paving, and water and sewer infrastructure, often handled by the same crew on the same job.

From Colleagues to Business Partners

Before ZJ Industries, Adams was CEO of Lakey Inc., a heavy civil construction company in East Texas, where Dickerson had already spent about a year as chief operating officer. The two spent long nights hashing out projects and bids together.

“I invested in that relationship and we became great friends,” Adams said.

At ZJ Industries, Adams handles relationship-building, lead generation and financial management. Dickerson runs project bidding and site management. It’s the same split of duties that made their partnership work at Lakey.

One Crew, Two Scopes of Work

Their pitch to clients: one crew handling both earthwork and utilities, instead of a client hiring separate excavation and utility contractors.

“If you have one team that can do both, gain efficiencies, stay cost competitive, and give the client one point of responsibility if something goes wrong, that’s a win for everybody,” Adams said.

Less than a year in, the pitch is landing work. ZJ Industries has four contracts running across East Texas.

The Cash Gap Facing New Contractors

However, civil construction demands cash before it pays out, meaning equipment, crews and materials all have to be covered up front, and newer companies without a track record often face tougher payment terms from suppliers than established firms do. Some won’t ship materials until a company has proven it can pay. Adams said that gap can limit how much work a young company can safely take on.

UBank in Lufkin and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Angelina College referred Adams and Dickerson to the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited (CU). Both organizations recognized the new company needed a bridge while its financials caught up with its workload.

A Line of Credit as a “Warm Blanket”

CU extended ZJ Industries a loan in May, made possible through an investment from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation in East Texas. The company draws on it project by project to cover materials, then pays it down as jobs are invoiced.

“It becomes kind of a warm blanket for us,” Adams said. “If that situation comes up, we can say, ‘Here’s our project. We’re getting paid in three weeks. We just need help covering the materials so we can be successful.'”

The credit line also lets ZJ Industries shop around for the best price instead of taking whatever terms a supplier offers, which Adams said keeps the company competitive and protects its margins.

Bonding Capacity and What Comes Next

Adams said the loan also strengthens ZJ Industries’ bonding capacity, which determines how large a project the company can bid on in the first place. Without bonding, larger contracts are out of reach regardless of how good the crew is.

“It allows us to have a future,” Adams said. “Without this, it would be so much more difficult, concerning, and risky, because it would limit the number of opportunities we could pursue.”

Adams singled out Chris Ranniger, CU’s Senior Economic Development Loan Officer, for being responsive and thorough throughout the process.

“I’m a big believer in working with people who manage toward ‘yes’ instead of ‘no,'” Adams said. “Never once did it feel like an eye-rolling process. You asked the right questions, and I respected that.”

Less than a year after opening, Adams said the goal now is to keep crews working and build the kind of track record that will let suppliers extend credit on their own. Through Communities Unlimited’s lending, Adams said ZJ Industries was able to overcome barriers and gain a real opportunity for growth.

“We were high-fiving, thanking the Lord, and celebrating,” Adams said of closing on the loan with CU. “The loan gives us breathing room to be successful and do what we do without those roadblocks standing in front of us. I’m going to recommend Communities Unlimited to businesses like ours that have a dream and just need some help along the way.”