Member Minute with Tricia Wilson

Entrepreneurial bloodlines lead Tricia Wilson of Icon Structures to take an unexpected path in life.

SMPS: Are you a Wichita native? If not, where did you grow up?
Tricia: I grew up in the Wichita area near Valley Center. After high school, I lived in Manhattan, Lawrence, Overland Park and eventually returned back home to the Wichita area. We currently reside in Andover.

SMPS: Where did you go to college? What is your degree in?
Tricia: I have a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University in Life Sciences (biology and chemistry). I originally planned a career in the health professions, but learned later that God had another plan for me.

SMPS: What are your hobbies?
Tricia: My hobbies include playing on a ladies tennis team, watching my kids’ sporting events and reading. I also love to be outdoors. Our family spends as much time as possible boating and relaxing at Table Rock Lake.

SMPS: What is your favorite kind of music?
Tricia: Country, Christian and Pop

SMPS: What do you like about living in Wichita?
Tricia: Definitely the people. You can’t beat the helpful and friendly people of Wichita. I love the spirit of entrepreneurism and the fact that you can get across town in under 30 minutes.

SMPS: So are you married? Any kids or pets?
Tricia: I am married to my middle school sweetheart, Brandon Wilson. We have two sons, Banks (14) and Blake (11). We also have two furry children (King Charles Cavalier Spaniels) that serve as greeters at the Icon Structures office.

SMPS: Tell us a little about your position at Icon Structures.
Tricia: My husband Brandon and I both grew up in families that owned small businesses. Brandon worked in his dad’s residential construction business and then started at KSU in the Architecture program, eventually switching and graduating with a degree in Construction Science and Management. Ironically, when we married, we had an agreement that we would not own our own business due to the long hours it required. Over time though, we realized the entrepreneurial blood lines could no longer be suppressed. In 2005 we started Icon Structures, a general contracting firm for commercial and residential construction. It was a humble beginning, with the two of us working out of a single basement office. Brandon ran the construction operations and I ran the financial side of the business. Eleven years later, the company has experienced significant growth and now employs 25. As our operations have expanded, so have the roles we play in the company. Brandon still leads the construction operations side of the business while I focus on the marketing, human resources, financial and risk management facets of the business. What I enjoy most is the variety of my role – there is a constant push to broaden my skills in each of these areas. I am looking forward to enhancing my marketing skills through participation in SMPS.

SMPS: Where did you work before Icon Structures?
Tricia: Prior to starting Icon Structures, I worked for the Wichita Chamber of Commerce running their Business Services division. I also worked for the Kansas Small Business Development Center at WSU as a consultant to business owners and people planning to start a business.