Darius Myles’ affinity for the construction industry began as a child while playing with trucks in the sandbox in the backyard of his Town of Niagara home. The skills he gained as a business student at Niagara University built upon his strong sense of family and equally strong work ethic, giving him a firm foundation for his future success in the business.
While it might have seemed as if Myles was destined for a career in construction—both his father and his grandfather owned businesses in the industry—his path to that profession had a few stops along the way.
The third of seven children, Myles joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Niagara Wheatfield High School in 2004, following in the footsteps of an older sister. He served for nearly four years before completing an inter-service transfer into the Army. Although he planned on a career in the military, he was honorably discharged and medically retired in 2009.
Myles briefly studied psychology at Niagara University before accepting an opportunity as a private contractor in logistics for Kellog Brown and Root, a large international government contractor. In this position, he learned about working for the government in a nonmilitary capacity.
When the contract ended, Myles decided that he wanted to establish his own construction company, but realized he needed “a formal business education.” After earning his associate’s degree, he returned to Niagara, but this time as a business major with a minor in law. He launched his company, DMyles Inc., in June 2013, while still a student.
Both his military experience and his contract background helped him land his first successful project— a contract to cut grass for the New York Power Authority.
“(New York state) Governor Cuomo started the first program in the country for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and I was one of the first companies to obtain that certification,” Myles said. The certification helped him win the contract with NYPA, which was participating in an SDVOB pilot program.
Myles also credits the Niagara Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which was housed at Niagara University at that time, with helping him through mentoring, training, and the technical assistance needed to win federal contracts.
“That was such a major piece to getting registered with the federal government and learning how to do business formally with them, how to look for the projects, and how to pursue bidding some of those opportunities,” he said. “Having that office here was really helpful in getting us started.”
As a veteran, Myles benefitted from the assistance of the university’s Veterans Services Office, as well.
“The support that NU gave veterans was second to none,” he said, noting that resources like the veterans lounge gave him and his peers a dedicated space to do their work and “maintain the camaraderie that we had in the military. That was such a huge piece to be successful as a student, because it’s such a life change coming from the military, then going to college when you’re so much older than all the other students.”
This support augmented the business skills Myles was developing in the classroom.
“Having real-world discussions with professors who are active in the business workplace, and our executives and entrepreneurs, was so instrumental in my development,” he said. “Touring facilities and seeing how they operated and how they continued to be successful were important pieces of the foundation that I was able to build my company on. Niagara has been a huge catalyst for the success I’ve been able to obtain.”
Since 2013, when Myles and his father were the only ones on the payroll, DMyles Inc. has grown into a full-service general construction firm with a revenue of $25.5 million and a workforce of 32 working from two offices in Western New York on construction projects with federal, state, and local governments, as well as private industry, throughout the Northeast United States. He also has a few projects in Florida, a state he is hoping to expand within.
While he was learning how to manage a business, Myles was also honing practical skills as a worker with Laborers’ Local #91, which gave him unique perspective of both sides of the construction industry.
“That was an experience that I really wanted to go through as I was finishing my business degree, knowing that I had the intention on starting a company,” he said. “It gave me some valuable insight on how things operate at that level—knowing what to expect and knowing what to ask of my employees.”
His employees, too, have had boots-on-the-ground experience.
“That’s something that we take pride in, and something that’s a part of our company culture,” Myles said.
Another part of the company culture is social responsibility, which Myles learned at Niagara.
“A core function of our business is taking care of the communities that we do work in,” he said, noting that they sponsor annual Christmas toy drives and turkey giveaways. “If we’re going into a community or a neighborhood and making money in that community, we need to be giving back to that community.”
Myles was recently recognized for his professional success and his personal commitment to service by Buffalo Business First, which named him one of the “Power 100 Business Leaders of Color.”
“I’ve noticed the list for a few years since they’ve been doing it, and I look up to a lot of the people on that list,” he said. “Being acknowledged amongst those people is something that’s very special to me.”
While the company’s growth is impressive, the ability to support his family—his wife and three children—as well as offer a good living to his employees and to the subcontractors they work with is the most satisfying thing about the work he does, he said.
“It puts a perspective on the true impact that our company has. It’s not just a company that goes out and renovates hospitals and build roads, it is an anchor to so many different people’s livelihood,” he said.
Now that his business degree has been put to good use, Myles is not quite ready to give up on his law school aspirations.
“I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer,” he said. “I wanted to be in the military, and I wanted to be a lawyer. But this construction opportunity, I felt, would give me time to try to figure out what area of law I want to go in.”
He’d also like to become a professor to share what he’s learned with the next generation of business professionals, and to start a nonprofit organization to use his skills to assist storm-ravaged areas or underserved communities.
“A gentleman I met last year said, ‘You seem like you always need a mountain to climb,’” he said. “That’s so true. I’m always looking forward to what the next mountain is, and there’s plenty of mountains, so I’ll keep hiking.”
