Photo by Tom Jenz
Addo Williams and his trainees.
A native of central city Milwaukee, 57 year old Addo Williams describes himself as an entrepreneur. He owns A New Look Remodeling business. and his restoration work covers the Racine and Milwaukee areas. He is also the founder and President of the nonprofit Positive Men Making A Difference dedicated to helping Black youth make their way in life.
Tell me about your background.
I was born in 1963 in Milwaukee’s inner city. Spent my early years in a house on 27th and Burleigh. Later in grade school, we moved to 46th and Locust, Sherman Park area. My parents were middle class. Mom worked at the VA, Dad worked for Allis Chalmers making tractors. My grandparents were only a house away. The neighborhood was predominantly Black families, but there were other races, too. I was raised Lutheran. Went to grade school at St. Philips Lutheran on 2nd and Chambers. For high school, I went to Milwaukee Tech to play basketball. That’s where I learned the building trades. I graduated in 1981 and went right into the Air Force as a plumber in the Civil Engineering Squad. We took care of all the plumbing on the military base and off-base housing. I had a wife and a baby daughter. I’d got my high school sweetheart pregnant. We were livin’ in a mobile home. It was tough making ends meet. After three years, we got a divorce, but my daughter turned out great, now happily married with two kids. You know, I never married again, but me and my significant other have been together for 28 years. We have two daughters, 26 and 18, both successful and smart. I spent two years in the Air Force and came back to Milwaukee.
How did you get into the restoration business?
Wasn’t long and I got into some trouble, got in with the wrong group of guys. I was sellin’ drugs, gettin’ into fights. I was the oldest boy in the family. You start gettin’ up in years, datin’ girls, and you make some bad choices. I wasn’t doing the things my parents had raised me to do. But I straightened around, worked at my grandfather’s gas station, had to make money to take care of my daughter. I also worked part time as a plumber for Vince Turan. Later, I worked at McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Coca Cola, and I drove truck. I began to get involved with fixing up houses, learning the business aspect of remodeling. I wanted to make more money. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Not like my parents. Mom worked at the VA for 39 years, Dad at Allis Chalmers for 31 years. In the remodeling business, I started being head of crews, running crews, being a leader. One day, I said, “I could do this myself, start my own company.” In the early 90s, I started A New Look Remodeling with just three guys. Later, I went to eight guys, two 4-man crews. I bought trucks and tools, was doin’ good, then got into buying real estate, buying houses.
You became active in helping young men.
Yes. I got into helping young men learn the trades. Every year a bunch of us graduates of Milwaukee Tech get together at a picnic. Been doing this for 39 years. Some guys were in the trades, some entrepreneurs, firemen, policemen, detectives. We’d network, helpin’ each other. Around three years ago, a woman from Milwaukee Public Schools called and asked if I would teach the carpentry class at Milwaukee Tech. I taught carpentry full time and still ran my remodeling business. I also taught the kids electrical and plumbing and life skills. I’m the President of a mentoring organization, Positive Men Making a Difference, all Black men who have either been to prison or made bad choices but got back on track. We work with troubled teens, teach them to make good choices, staying away from gangs and drugs and car stealing. They might not have a father at home, or have a mother who’s on drugs. At 50 years old, I went to college at Gateway Tech, got my degree in Human Services. Classes were at night. I learned about mentoring, counseling, working with people, drug counseling, the elderly. I figured I needed that training to start my non-profit, Positive Men Making A Difference.
You believe that kids need more training in the trades.
Nowadays, Black kids don’t get enough practical training in schools, especially the boys. I speak as an African American man who was raised in the ghetto and know what it’s like to leave the ghetto and live a middle class life. I’m a man of the streets, but I’m also a corporate America guy. The trade programs at Milwaukee Tech are good, but they need to be implemented in all the MPS schools. carpentry, plumbing, electrical, welding, machining, Then, we need more apprentice programs, kids working a half day at a company then going to school a half day. I give a few of those kids summer jobs at my company, but I can only do so much. Point is, everybody is not gonna go to college. In the trades, you can get a good job and make good money and you don’t have college debt. At Milwaukee Public Schools, it’s almost like the system is setting kids up for failure. What kind of world do we live in that you administrators at the top know these programs would help our kids but you don’t implement them?
