Our Story

S&A Industries Story

Two childhood friends from Nazareth emigrated separately to the United States before meeting again in Atlanta in the mid-1970s.  Daoud Shakkour and Ahmed Aboneaaj, by then enterprising young men, decided to start a business installing carpet and tile in homes and small businesses.  After a couple of years’ working together, the partners had sufficient experience and confidence to incorporate S&A Industries, Inc., which allowed them to bid on a carpet and tile installation job at a Hilton hotel in Florida.  From the successful completion of that modest project, over the next 20 years S&A expanded its capabilities from just carpet and tile installation to providing every facet of the most sophisticated hotel and resort renovations.

Our Reputation

By 2000, having established a solid foundation and strong reputation in the industry, Daoud and Ahmed knew the business could continue to grow but they would need help. In 2001 Ahmed’s brother, Maiser Aboneaaj, was enticed to leave Shaw Pittman, a Washington, DC law firm, to bring his talents to help manage and grow S&A’s business.  Also joining S&A at that time was Michael Finn, an experienced hotel renovation project manager.  Maiser, who is now CEO, and Michael, now Project Director, have led the dramatic expansion of S&A’s customer and revenue base, both into the renovation of up-scale timeshares as well as luxury, full service, and select-service hotels.

Premier Contractors

With hundreds of projects successfully completed across the U.S. and Caribbean for many leading timeshare and hotel brands, S&A is now one of the nation’s premier general contractors in resort and hotel renovation.

Today, more than four decades of dedication, service, and singular devotion to a single business gives particular poignancy to Ahmed’s observation that “it took a long time for us to get off our knees”.  And adds even more pride to his being able to honestly say, “S&A now stands tall among the best resort and hotel renovation firms in the country”.

Client Testimonials

If you’re curious about what our process looks like in action, a few of our clients are eager to share their stories.

"I have had the pleasure to work with S&A Industries since 2011. They have completed numerous large-scale complicated room renovations and public space conversions. A couple of the attributes of this company that I appreciate is they think like an owner and they’re extremely trustworthy. I would highly recommend S&A to any client."

Michael Hayden

Hayden Management Services

"S&A Industries is a regular on my bid lists, and I have awarded them many projects over the years.  When challenges arise, they are creative and resourceful.  When unexpected costs surface, they are team players.  When work is evaluated, high quality standards are met.  On many projects they have beaten the expected schedule.  And on the rare occasion where issues arise, they are accountable.  These qualities are cultural to their entire organization, and why I would not hesitate to recommend them to any client."

Bridget Rooks

Senior Project Manager | PM Unlimited, LLC

"As a client representative, I have worked with S&A for over 10 years on several hospitality renovations, of various sizes, throughout the US. They have a solution- oriented approach to budget and schedule providing a valuable vision to the client and all team members. They constantly strive for the highest quality in their work and put thought into every step of the construction process. S&A has assembled a strong team of in-house and field personnel and have systems in place for the successful completion of their projects. Their commitment and invested strength for the success of each project makes them a valuable part of the team on every project."

Tracy A. Koneski

Koneski Management Services, LLC

"I want to thank everyone @ S&A for your loyalty and commitment to excellence on all of our projects.  You are truly trusted partners, and I owe much of my professional growth to the continued and consistent outperformance that S&A delivers on every project.  Every time I hire you for a project I set the bar a little higher, and somehow you manage to clear the hurdle by even more than you did on the previous project.  It shows me that you are committed to constant introspection in search of company improvement and better practices.  Your performance is only surpassed by your honesty and integrity.  Every time I step on a job I’m thankful that I have a contractor that I trust to do the right thing, even when it costs more than you planned.  You’ve proven time and again that the relationship is more important than the dollar."

Wilson Brandt

Sr. Director, Design & Construction | Hospitality Ventures Management Group

"This has been one of the smoothest guest room renovations that I have been part of in my 27 years in the hotel industry. I have to thank you ALL for your time, energy, and patience. There are not enough good things I can say about S&A. They are hardworking, flexible, and have always been willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. Keeping in mind how stressful these projects can be… we always made sure to try to have FUN. That would not have been possible without their positive attitude and outlook."

Paul Smith

Director of Engineering | Chase Park Plaza

"S&A’s partnership as well as its cost effective, high quality and efficient approach to hotel renovations, has created a ten-year relationship unlike any other we have experienced with another GC.  We value S&A’s approach to partnerships as extended family relationships based on a strong level of loyalty and trust.  As a result, we have solely negotiated all of our renovation projects with S&A,  as our track record has cultivated a confidence by our capital partners that our projects will continue to be delivered on time and on budget."

Evens Charles

Founder & Managing Principal | Frontier Development & Hospitality Group LLC

Industry Awards & Clients