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ONALD TRUMP LEARNED most of what he knows about the
Dconstruction business from his father, who was also a renowned
real estate developer and builder. One of the earliest photos of Don-
ald shows him at the age of 12 inspecting the foundation of one of his
father’s buildings. Fred Trump was meticulous in overseeing what he
built. He was very involved and insisted on knowing every detail of
how his buildings were being constructed, from laying bricks and in-
stalling steel beams to digging foundations, until the building was
completed. Donald inherited his father’s work ethic. A classic exam-
ple of Donald Trump’s hands-on monitoring of construction prog-
ress occurred when he was transforming the old Briar Hall golf
course into what is now Trump National Golf and Country Club in
Briarcliff Manor, New York. While inspecting the site, he learned
that a huge amount of granite existed at a critical spot and would re-
quire a major amount of blasting to remove. Trump was curious and
went to the spot and said, “Why can’t we incorporate the stone to
serve as a backdrop for a major waterfall on a golf hole?” The site en-
gineer replied, “You’re talking about a waterfall that will be over 100
feet high and will require a large source of water to make it eye
catching. It’s going to cost millions to build.” Trump said, “I know,
but it will be my signature hole and everyone who plays the course
will talk about it. It’s worth the price.” Trump was right. The 13th
hole at Trump National is the “wow” hole on the entire course.

MANAGE CONTRACTORS AND CONTROL COSTS

Small investors who closely monitor the progress and problems that
arise in their own building and renovation projects will find many

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