Winning that $40 million building contract

(FSB Magazine) -- Defense is a profitable business for the aptly named Gail Warrior-Lawrence, 39. Her DeSoto, Texas, firm just landed a $40 million contract to build barracks at the Army's Fort Bliss base in Texas. Revenues will probably top $60 million this year, up from $15 million in 2006.

In the trenches: A former accountant, Warrior-Lawrence launched her modular-construction company in 1997. Last summer Warrior Group partnered with Hensel Phelps of Greeley, Colo., a general contractor, and two giants of modular-housing manufacturing, Fleetwood (Charts) and Coachman (Charts).

Gail Warrior-Lawrence, President, Warrior Group

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The group won the federal contract in November - the $40 million is Warrior's portion of a larger contract - and beat out a modular-housing unit of General Electric (Charts, Fortune 500).

Forging on: Construction started in the spring, and when finished, the barracks will shelter about 1,400. Three more contracts for military housing, totaling $100 million, are up for bid.

As a woman- and minority-owned small business in construction, Warrior Group is a frontrunner, but its work at Fort Bliss will probably be a key factor in the Army Corps of Engineers' decision. Says Warrior-Lawrence: "The lights will go on in those barracks as scheduled."