The Manila Times

Self made

BY LOUISE NICHOLE LOGARTA

SOME kids sing, some dance. Others are good at sports, excel at drawing or even cooking. William Russell M. Scheirman, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Scheirman Construction Consolidated, Inc. (SCCI), knew early on that his talent was making money.

William is the offspring of former nurse Mary Glen and mechanical engineer William, Sr. who visited the Philippines in 1987 as part of the team that spearheaded natural gas exploration in the country. At the age of 12, his parents separated, but William relates that he maintains a good relationship with each one.

Quality work

Growing up, William was, by all accounts, a normal kid. His interests included basketball and spending time with friends. “Ma-barkada ako [I hung out a lot] as a teenager,” he admits. “Wala pa sa mindset ko yung ‘what was life in the future [It still hadn’t occurred to me what were my future plans].’”

He also liked packing much of his time with activities. He says: “Tinatamad ako na sa school lang [I got bored just attending school and doing nothing else].” And so, he channeled his energy into healthier outlets such as sports and business.

“Bata pa lang ako, nagbebenta na ako ng kung anu-ano sa [Ever since I was young, I sold all sorts of things at] school,” he continues. In second grade, he sold Dragon Ball Z posters that his uncle printed out. Then, he would loan his earnings to their household helpers at 20 percent interest. Later, while taking civil engineering at Mapúa University, he sold tumblers, bags, basketball uniforms and school organization jerseys.

William recounts that he was recruited to join a network selling beauty products, which he did for about six months. “After that, I felt that this was not my line. I couldn’t apply what I learned,” he recalls.

As a college junior, he applied for a parttime job at a small construction outfit, where he was taken on as a quantity surveyor, and later, an engineer. During his senior year, he transferred to another company that specialized in residential housing. Upon graduating, he believed that he had learned enough to do different types of projects on his own.

“I wanted to be a contractor,” he confesses. He and his friends established a

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2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/281870121725203

The Manila Times