This is the first in a series that highlights the high quality workmanship Black owned companies provided at the luxurious Horseshoe Casino.
Jeff Hargrave
BALTIMORE – Jeff Hargrave, head of Mahogany Inc., is sure that after his crew’s hard work on Baltimore’s new Horseshoe Casino, he can tackle any project anywhere. His firm specializes in architectural millwork. That means that they handle the details – all the woodwork, seating and paneling – in many of the casino’s eateries.
“If it’s on drywall, Mahogany probably installed it,” Hargrave said.
He described the project as a massive one. “We did about a year’s worth of work in three-and-a-half months,” he said. That meant 100 men working day and night, seven days a week. They began work sometime around late-April, early May. He went to the work site to have a cookout for the crew on Independence Day, he said, because he felt bad that the crew was working so hard.
According to Hargrave, about $4 million was spent on the installation. Was it money well spent? He thinks so. “The place looks great, the facility is unbelievable. It looks like artwork,” he said.
Mahogany’s signature work is readily apparent in Horseshoe Casino.
“They really made the casino nice compared to some of the casinos here locally. A lot of money went into furnishing. All the metal panels, the horseshoes in the ceiling, all that stuff.”
Although it was a huge undertaking, Hargrave said, “The contractor and casino folks are happy. They know what we had to go through. To get it accomplished in that time frame was really remarkable.”
This was not Mahogony’s first high-profile job. They are responsible for work in the Baltimore Hilton in the Inner Harbor, at M&T Bank Stadium, and at Walter Reed Medical Center. It’s a big change for someone from more humble beginnings.
The casino folks are happy with Mahogany’s work, according to Hargrave.
Hargrave said he was headed down a road that could have led to incarceration when he heard about a position as a carpenter’s apprentice. He has always had the mind of a hustler, he said, and thought the $5.25 an hour position would lead to a better future.
He learned the trade and started his own business with one employee and one project. He thinks his success comes from his reputation for being reliable. He said that after 23 years in business his company has finished every project. “We’re one of the top installation firms in the state,” he said.
Hargrave said being a minority business helps get him in the door – if there is a requirement for minority participation – but what keeps him at the table is his experience and talent. “I’m a carpenter. I know what to look for, I know the questions to ask to hire the right people. We can put our guys against anyone and we will shine,” he said.