Chicago native Tracey Bey loves making homes look beautiful. “I love seeing things come to finish and what makes them look pretty,” she says. Her company, T2 Finishes, puts the finishing details on real estate renovation and development projects, installing cabinets, flooring, baseboards, and more. “Anything that comes through once you get the walls up and have them drywalled,” she says. We spoke with Bey about how she has been able to find success doing what she loves in an industry that is not always welcoming to Black women.
Bey found herself in the banking industry after college. She was part of a team that established Bank of America branches in Chicago-area Jewel stores. But it was her work in participation syndication loans that first got her interested in real estate. “I saw people who were rehabbing houses and started rehabbing myself,” Bey says. Twenty years later, she’s still at it.
Like most of the construction industry, people of color are hard to find in finishing. “There are no Black people and no Black companies. Our biggest competitor is an Asian company,” Bey says. But she’s not waiting for an invitation to fill a minority hiring quota. Instead, she’s carving out her own lane and letting her work speak for itself. “As a Black woman, I check a couple of those boxes. But I’m not allowing them to use me for their numbers,” she says.
That determination has helped Bey forge relationships with general contractors and learn about potential bidding opportunities. “I don’t want you just to add me to the list because I’m a Black company,” she says. Although T2 Finishes works with residential customers, Bey has also set her sights on landing commercial and mixed-use property projects around the city. She recently won a bid to supply cabinets for a CHA project at 508 Pershing.
When it comes to work-life balance, Bey says work often wins out. In addition to T2 Finishes, she and her fiancé manage several companies, which demand a lot of their time. But as someone who likes being busy, Bey says she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’m trying to learn not to take work home so much. We just make sure we take time out for each other, like going out to dinner and having date nights,” she says.
Bey advises other women of color who are interested in finishing to be strong and look for ways to make themselves stand out. And in an industry that is all about who you know, Bey says having a mentor can make all of the difference. “Go to every networking event and meet everybody you can,” she says. “Solid connections can help you stay on top of bid opportunities.” She also tries to help open doors for others when she can. “I know how to fight, and I like to fight. All you can say is no. But I’m going to ask you to explain why you’re saying no,” she says.
Bey says she’s thankful that her business allows her to do what she loves, employ other people, and help rebuild communities on the South and West sides of the city. “Driving past the buildings we are working on, knowing our cabinets and floors are going in, gives me pride,” she says.