Sydney Cody is the owner of Vanguard Pacific, a construction company that works on federal projects. Cody purchased the majority stake in the business in 2016 and took sole ownership in 2018. In that time, Cody grew the company from less than $60,000 per year in revenue—she had to use her personal property as collateral for the first four years of business— to having $14.8 million in revenue in 2022.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Cody received the Alabama Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year award from the U.S. Small Business Administration last week, one of five winners in the state. Cody also worked for Amgen, a biotech firm in California, and Honeywell.

Cody is a native of the area and attended Foley High School and Alabama School of Math and Science. She graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Here, she discusses her company’s role in coastal Alabama, how she wants to make an impact and what it meant to win the award.

Questions and answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.