Building a Better Future: Zachary Hartman ’20 BSBA (Business Management)

For one Eller student, building is what it is all about—building houses, connections and a better future.

Zachary Hartman ’20 BSBA (Business Management) has been fascinated by the construction industry since his youth and wants to turn this childhood dream into a reality by starting his own business.

Hartman’s introduction to construction began when he took a welding class in high school. He instantly fell in love and took every chance he could to weld, coming in during his lunch period and before and after school. He decided that he wanted to start his own company and knew that a good business education would be the first step. So before he builds houses, Hartman is building connections at Eller.

As a student at Eller, Hartman never loses sight of his end-goal. “I like to think of the friends I make at Eller as potential partners,” he says. He has been able to meet many people with similar interests as him, a few of whom even have their own businesses in the works. For Hartman, it is a community that fosters support and success.

The faculty have also played a major role in Hartman’s education, who cited Mikel Chertudi, lecturer in business communication, as someone who has had a great impact on him. “I go to his office hours all the time. He’s an awesome person, he loves building things like me and knows several welders. He’s one of the best connections I’ve made.”

Come graduation, Hartman will have a solid foundation and network upon which to build his company. “My goal is to have a homebuilding company with multiple locations in Arizona,” Hartman says. Sustainability is one thing that Hartman wants to emphasize in his company. “There are places where they’re building lots of houses, which is a lot of land they have to plow and a lot of waste those families will produce in the future. They need to be environmentally friendly.” 

One way that Hartman would like to implement environmentally-friendly concepts into his business is by utilizing shipping containers to build homes. “They’re inexpensive, and since they’re made to withstand rough seas on shipping boats they are up to code for any disaster.” They are a great solution for housing in areas affected by earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other disasters, and their low cost makes them accessible.

No matter what, Hartman wants to help build a better, more sustainable future. “I think a lot about the environmental impact of building projects. Ethics is a huge part of the education at Eller College, and I’ve learned so much about how important it is to make houses sustainable.”