Forgotten Magic Johnson teammate now makes fortune in highly successful post-retirement career he started while playing
KENNY Carr built a solid NBA career after helping Team USA to basketball gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The 6-foot-7 power forward scrapped his way to a 10-year spell in the NBA after briefly playing with a young Magic Johnson at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Carr continued that hard-working mindset by forming a construction company during his final season in the league with the Portland Trail Blazers.
He spent his final five seasons in Portland – after stops in Cleveland and Detroit – and was determined to put down roots in the Oregon city.
"I had friends in the business and got started in 1986," Carr recalled.
"I started as a general contractor but eventually moved into the specialty work of sub-contracting in the early 1990s, which I like better."
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His company undertakes the fabrication and erection of structural steel for industrial and commercial buildings, including hospitals, schools, museums, and parking structures.
Carr Construction's most notable projects include working on the OHSU Tram in Portland and Paul Allen's Experience Music Project museum in Seattle.
Carr says his number one objective during work for his crews, which can grow to as many as 50 to 60 workers, is to keep them all safe.
"We make sure safety is the most important aspect in the total picture," he said.
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"The hard part is that it is difficult to keep track of all of a large crew’s minor injuries.
"You could have a good streak for a while of no injuries and suddenly you hit a bad streak."
Carr is particularly proud he has played a small role in the growth of Portland in the past 30-plus years.
"I’ve been extensively involved with this area...and have seen it grow," he said.
"We have had a lot of investment in the north Portland area and it’s had a boom in construction lately, raising property values.
"It’s been great to have been a small part of that."