Noah Figueroa admits it wasn't his, but he knew a good idea when he heard one.
Working as a railroad car inspector, Figueroa got a call from someone looking to buy a flatcar for use as a bridge. The call sparked an idea, which would later turn into a business. In 1999, he began buying damaged railroad cars that weren't repairable. Later, he began offering them to land developers to ford streams, creeks and riverbeds, and his company Paragon Bridge Works was on its way.
Another lucky break came later when Figueroa was contacted by a man who wanted help dismantling railroad cars on a military base. Figueroa began investigating the world of military surplus.
What he found was that military grade flatcars are heavier and stronger than commercial ones, but could be had for half the price -- $5,000.
Paragon has installed 700 surplus bridges, from Alaska to the Deep South, for developers, golf courses, parks departments and state governments. The company now employs five people and makes $2 million in revenue annually.
Figueroa, who never imagined the appellation "bridge-builder" after his name, is glad to have discovered military surplus. It saved him money and freed up his time on-site to indulge in his new hobby from those bridges: fishing.
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