Michael John Steinmetz

For more than two decades, Michael John Steinmetz has excelled as the owner of MJS Construction—a commercial building and remodeling business based in New Rochelle, New York. An expert in every aspect of commercial construction, he has served as the in-house general contractor for one major client for the past 24 years, through which he handles up to 18 different properties from San Diego to Los Angeles to Arizona. With three employees and two secretaries, he works roughly 12 hours a day—among his numerous responsibilities across his many projects, he travels from job site to job site, inspects the work, and sees what needs there are regarding materials and coordinates to provide them. Driven by perseverance, dedication, and focus, Mr. Steinmetz has found that his ability to work hard is unlimited—which he wants to utilize to grow MJS Construction even further.

Upon graduating high school, Mr. Steinmetz pursued electronics coursework at Long Beach City College for two years before joining the U.S. Navy in 1975. He was in the military for six years and then married; his father-in-law owned a roofing company in San Diego, where he worked for 16 years—advancing to the role of sales manager. It was a job he loved until the company was sold in 1997. It was then that he had to recalibrate and figure out what he wanted to do for a living. He had been experiencing a rough patch in his life, was consuming lots of alcohol, and did not like the direction his life was going in. He became sober—and has been for the past 25 years—and quickly fell into his current venture when he received a mysterious phone call one day from a client in search of a project manager. Although he had no prior experience, he had the work ethic to excel in the role—and he still serves that client to this day. He subsequently earned his general contractor’s license and founded MJS Construction from nothing and now his annual sales surpass $2 million.

Believing in giving back to the community, Mr. Steinmetz has been involved in the Veteran’s Administration, Disabled American Veterans, organizations that support breast cancer research, and was a participant of the Million Man March.