Irondale mayor spotlights engineer-entrepreneur Selena Rogers Dickerson and her firm Sarkor
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Mayor James Douglas Stewart Jr. invited engineer and entrepreneur Selena Rogers Dickerson to the mayor’s podcast to mark Women’s History Month, where she described founding her firm Sarkor after being laid off during the Great Recession and encouraged local residents to pursue business training and capital programs.
Dickerson told listeners she was laid off on 11/17/2010 and used the next two years to prepare: “Success is when opportunity meets preparation,” she said, describing coursework, Small Business Administration programs and a master’s in business with a focus on project management that helped her secure a first contract the day after her layoff. “I got laid off in to 2010,” she said. “The next day, I had a contract.”
The history matters locally because Dickerson framed her engineering work as directly improving neighborhoods. She recalled early projects that touched everyday infrastructure — sidewalks, bus stops and library site work — and said those projects inform her company’s mission to raise users’ quality of life. “When I got my first project … it was, how can I improve one of the communities adjacent to where I used to live,” she said.
Dickerson explained the firm’s name: “Sarkor stands for Selena A Rogers Corporation.” She said she started Sarkor with $2,400 to her name and grew the business from a solo operation to a 14-person team, attributing that growth to being “coachable,” participating in cohorts such as the Capital Collective and recruiting employees who share the company’s values.
She also described personal challenges that shaped her path. Dickerson said she survived domestic violence and other setbacks and leaned on faith and family as she rebuilt her life and business. She framed those experiences as motivation rather than deterrent: “I could’ve just stayed at home … but I chose to say, no. I can survive this,” she said.
Mayor Stewart used the episode to highlight Women in Construction Week in Irondale and said he had given a proclamation to the AGC earlier in the week. He closed the episode by thanking Dickerson and inviting listeners to the next podcast installment on March 18 featuring the Merchant Brothers, two city officers who are twins.
Dickerson offered practical help for other local business owners: she said she would introduce interested entrepreneurs to the Capital Collective cohort that she credited with reshaping her approach to team building and scaling. The podcast episode combined personal narrative, business advice and specific local referrals for training and networks that could help other Irondale entrepreneurs.
The mayor’s podcast did not include formal votes or policy decisions; it served as a community-oriented interview and outreach vehicle for entrepreneurship and workforce-development resources.
Dickerson told listeners she was laid off on 11/17/2010 and used the next two years to prepare: “Success is when opportunity meets preparation,” she said, describing coursework, Small Business Administration programs and a master’s in business with a focus on project management that helped her secure a first contract the day after her layoff. “I got laid off in to 2010,” she said. “The next day, I had a contract.”
The history matters locally because Dickerson framed her engineering work as directly improving neighborhoods. She recalled early projects that touched everyday infrastructure — sidewalks, bus stops and library site work — and said those projects inform her company’s mission to raise users’ quality of life. “When I got my first project … it was, how can I improve one of the communities adjacent to where I used to live,” she said.
Dickerson explained the firm’s name: “Sarkor stands for Selena A Rogers Corporation.” She said she started Sarkor with $2,400 to her name and grew the business from a solo operation to a 14-person team, attributing that growth to being “coachable,” participating in cohorts such as the Capital Collective and recruiting employees who share the company’s values.
She also described personal challenges that shaped her path. Dickerson said she survived domestic violence and other setbacks and leaned on faith and family as she rebuilt her life and business. She framed those experiences as motivation rather than deterrent: “I could’ve just stayed at home … but I chose to say, no. I can survive this,” she said.
Mayor Stewart used the episode to highlight Women in Construction Week in Irondale and said he had given a proclamation to the AGC earlier in the week. He closed the episode by thanking Dickerson and inviting listeners to the next podcast installment on March 18 featuring the Merchant Brothers, two city officers who are twins.
Dickerson offered practical help for other local business owners: she said she would introduce interested entrepreneurs to the Capital Collective cohort that she credited with reshaping her approach to team building and scaling. The podcast episode combined personal narrative, business advice and specific local referrals for training and networks that could help other Irondale entrepreneurs.
The mayor’s podcast did not include formal votes or policy decisions; it served as a community-oriented interview and outreach vehicle for entrepreneurship and workforce-development resources.
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