From the kitchen table of the Bayshore, an international engineering company was born

With the Great Recession taking hold, Prescod was out of a job at the most precarious time in his life: his wife was pregnant, and their son was only 18 months old. In addition, the job market has evaporated. “It was a crazy time,” Prescod said.

With no choice but to use his own wood panels, he launched 5D Architecture and Engineering PLLC, the firm, on the kitchen table in his Bay Shore home. With $250,000 of his 401(k) proceeds, he purchased large-format printers, a computer, and other business supplies; He rents a car in hopes of traveling to future projects, including a home inspection, and pays himself a salary to support his family.

Today the company, which is headquartered in Lynbrook and has an office in Jamaica, Queens, has eight employees and handles up to 15 projects simultaneously, Prescod said.

Prescod, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, came to the United States on a student visa with his mother when he was 15, but they returned home when his visa was about to expire. At seventeen, after graduating from high school, Prescod returned to the United States with his mother, but after a short while, she returned home, leaving him alone in the drug- and crime-ridden Queens borough.

His mother is a pastor and his father wore multiple professional hats, including an engineer, pastor, Doctor of Divinity and world missionary, Prescod said. Prescod was raised in a “religious Pentecostal” environment that imbued him with honesty and morality. With his green card, thanks to a family friend sponsoring him, Prescod worked as a bank teller, but with one career goal: to become an engineer.

“I have never been involved, nor have I had any peer pressure or desire to join friends and neighbors in crime,” said Prescod, 50, who earned an engineering degree at the University at Buffalo and received training in advanced computerized structural and ground simulation from Bentley Systems. . Staad, an enterprise software company in Yorba Linda, California. “When my friends were in or out of jail, I knew I was going to go to college.”

What does the name of your company 5D Architecture and Engineering mean?

It is those (five) areas that our company deals with – construction, construction management, architecture, engineering and inspection.

What is the biggest business mistake you’ve made?

I should have married my wife five years ago. We have been married for 20 years, and when I lost my job, she was my biggest supporter, and with her, I would start my business early.

What is the biggest challenge facing you now?

I need to show up so people know I’m here, because as soon as I get that exposure, they’re like, “We didn’t know this company was doing this cutting edge stuff.”

How do you get clients?

I get referrals from lawyers, engineers and other architects all the time.

I also hold MBE, LLBE, SBE and DBE certifications. (Minority Business Enterprise, Local Business Enterprise, SBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).

What are some current and past projects?

At JFK in Terminal 4, I manage construction and runway inspections, and as a licensed drone pilot, I get photos of the construction progress on Terminal 6. So, when a subcontractor wants to get paid, the photos show if construction is progressing. On schedule or behind schedule, completed or in progress.

In Flushing, Queens, for the underground car park at the Emerald Tower Condominium, I designed and tested the supporting earthworks 60 feet underground.

On the island of Jamaica, I’m working on several projects, including the rehabilitation of the Hermitage Dam, and with the island’s National Water Commission, I’m trying to solve the 50% loss of fresh water in old pipes.

What are the advantages of owning a project like yours?

It allows you to dream, think, learn and do different projects.

In 2020, I created a non-profit organization called Oasis Community Land Charity, Inc., to provide workforce training to the underprivileged, and now I have an official partnership with the Shinnecock Nation. In collaboration with the state, I am using drone technology to track the carbon footprint and migration of animals along the east coast to map offshore winds for environmental permits.

Through the non-profit organization, I get access to more diverse and unconventional projects.

How do you get employees?

I receive new employee emails from LinkedIn, Yahoo, recruiters, other architects, engineers, friends, and employees.

How do you keep workers?

I try to offset the higher costs of the economy by providing food, long distance travel, gas and phone allowances.

What do you hope your company will look like in five years?

The business will be so large that we will have the opportunity to give back to our communities through jobs. We are doing it now, but it will be on a larger scale. I want to help those people who can’t see their way forward to make enough money to own a home and be part of the American Dream.