Camden firm boasts successful turnaround after recession low

As the Great Recession caused countless small businesses to falter in 2008, one Camden-based corporation not only found its bearings but found a way to double its revenue.

Eduardo Guzman, owner of DCM (Design, Construction, Maintenance) Architecture & Engineering, spoke with NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller about his company’s meteoric rise that has resulted in contracts with the White House and the U.S. Army.

“It was just two of us when the worst of the worst occurred,” Guzman said. “We went seven months without income, both my partner, Robert Benson, and myself.”

After the company hit rock bottom, Guzman said, he and Benson were forced to reinvent it by increasing services and products while also aggressively marketing themselves.

With the help of several business incubators in Camden and in Philadelphia, they were able to stay afloat long enough to revitalize DCM.

“It’s not only a miracle,” he said. “It’s a story of relentlessness, some faith, a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck.”

The company, which had 19 employees before the recession, now has 22 staffers and continues to grow. Guzman says revenues have doubled in the past three years, which has prompted them to expand their offices in Washington, D.C.

No matter where their business ventures takes them, Guzman said, Camden will remain the cornerstone of the company.

“We are committed to Camden. Everywhere we go, Robert [Benson] and I always mention, ‘yes, we’re two guys from Camden,’” he said. “We want to be part of the redevelopment of the city … We’re the real deal.”