About the Owners:

 

Sarah & John Steel purchased Urban Referrals in 2011 from previous owner, Marla Ray, who started the company in 2002. As home owners who have used Urban Referral’s services many times over the years, they recognize the importance of using professional, licensed contractors and the value that Urban Referrals offers. A little about the new owners…

 

Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Sarah migrated to Washington DC after finishing her undergraduate degree in Business Administration & Art History at Seton Hill University. Her career has been built on running small to mid-sized companies, focusing on operations and business development. Through the years, she’s overseen many company relocations and expansions which led her to seek a graduate degree in construction and development. She’ll have her Masters in hand from Georgetown University in December, 2011. Sarah is also the principal of Steel Management Group, LLC, a consulting firm working with small businesses in the WDC metro area.

 

John grew up traveling the world with his family thanks to the Marine Corps. After finishing his undergraduate work in Political Science at the University of Maryland, he opted to stay and settle in the WDC area. By day, John works for a large government contracting firm as a senior engineer, overseeing computer networks that span several states and serve nearly 30,000 users. His experience and training make him well versed in managing company operations as well as designing and implementing standardized procedures across a large enterprise.

 

With their base of operations in Northern Virginia, both Sarah and John will work together to ensure the exemplary customer service Urban Referrals is known for remains in place and the company continues to flourish. Future Urban Referral employees include their kids, Matt & McKennah. Look out for Desi, the dog, too!