Alumni Spotlight

ULM Alum: Gretchen Kovac

GRETCHEN KOVAC IS A TESTAMENT TO THE VALUE of an education. Her father, an immigrant from Yugoslavia, only acquired an education through the 3rd grade, and her mother, a resident of West Carroll Parish, only through the 9th. The Kovacs stressed upon their six children that to be successful, they must stay in school. And to their credit, Gretchen and her five siblings all graduated from college. The family operated a farm in West Carroll Parish. Gretchen’s father bought the original 1000 acres before the Great Depression and sold all but 400 acres to settle the debt during the national crisis. Gretchen’s youngest brother Mike still farms cattle on that land today. After working on the farm herself as a child, Gretchen heeded her parents’ advice, and sought an education as a way to expand her options. Alongside the incredible work ethic and solid values imparted by her parents, Gretchen sought her own path, initially choosing to become an educator.

Gretchen obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Health and Physical Education in Ruston and then a masters while working in Lafayette, Louisiana. Gretchen started teaching school shortly after her first college graduation and throughout her masters program, attending night school and summer classes. As a mother of two boys, Gretchen didn’t have the luxury of indulging the full college experience, and instead, devoted her little free time to career advancement. She attended ULM and obtained 30-plus hours beyond her masters. After teaching for 18 years, Gretchen decided to consider another field and looked toward construction. Her house sat on 10 acres, and she sold the bulk of it and built her first new house on the remaining three acres. Having always been told that if she wanted to do something then she could do it, Gretchen worked with local investors and secured financing to develop more properties, eventually building hundreds of homes and multiple subdivisions in this community.

While Gretchen’s name may be on the development signs, she credits her phenomenal team with the business’s success. Gretchen learned the benefit of teamwork while playing basketball at Oak Grove High School. She knew she needed a team of like-minded business people that were committed to hard work and possessed a passion for construction. When members of a team invest in each other’s success, the possibilities are endless. Alongside team building, Gretchen continued her education. While at ULM, Gretchen learned from mentor and kinesiology professor Bill Arrington that rigor builds knowledge. She identified a desire to continue learning outside the classroom. She admits she’s still learning today. Gretchen obtained her realtor certification, and though she didn’t have time to sell houses, the knowledge has been vital to growing her construction business.

After 43 years in the construction business, Gretchen is grateful for the God-granted vision to see what she’s capable of and the insight to pick the right people to develop that vision. She designs and builds every house as if she is going to live in it. Gretchen pays close attention to the customers’ needs and the ever-shifting design trends. She loves making new homeowners happy and being a part of their lifetime investment. Gretchen introduced the open-design concept to home building in this area. She credits the appeal of this design to our changing society, as most two-parent households involve both parents working outside of the home. When everyone is home, people want to be together, so dividing walls don’t really suit people’s tastes anymore. Gretchen invests in relationships with people, as does her team, and the business success follows.

As an advocate of education, Gretchen finds knowledge wherever she can. She understands that understanding in one area enhances other areas. To learn is to grow. She attributes success to five practices. To grow, you have to seek opportunities to learn, and that often happens outside one’s comfort zone. Love what you do because life is too short to spend it otherwise. Give back to your community, for not only are you a part of it, but it’s a part of you. Identify the talent and passion around you - encourage and nurture it, Always acknowledge and foster a team, for success is rarely attributed to one source. Gretchen Kovac believes in a solid work ethic and sound values. Pair those characteristics with a solid education, and success is just around the corner.