As this current administration moved into office, the team at PermitUsNow had prepared themselves for a year filled with tariffs. 2025 has been marked with higher material costs and shifts to alternate materials, but, as Founder and CEO of PermitUsNow Helen Callier said, if you paid attention to the campaign in 2024, it should have come as a surprise to no one.
Now dealing with a government shutdown, Texas’ premier permitting experts have their work cut out for them, mitigating these obstacles and delivering their clients the success they’ve grown accustomed to.
Q&A with Helen Callier of PermitUsNow:
Q: Since we last spoke in 2023, what have been some big things that PermitUsNow has done?
A: Over the past couple of years, PermitUsNow has continued to scale with intention of expanding our impact to existing and new clients, deepening partnerships, and positioning our firm to meet the growing demand of construction projects in the Houston area, across Texas and beyond.
Strategically, we were selected to support key long-term capital projects, including the $2.2 billion Harris Health LBJ Hospital Expansion, which encompasses a new hospital tower, parking garage, community farm, and a central utilities plant which is a major public project that reflects our firm’s ability to deliver permitting expertise on mission-critical healthcare projects. We’re also proud to serve on the new United Airlines Catering Kitchen project, an essential component of United’s $2.6 billion Terminal B expansion at IAH Airport, where speed, accuracy, and coordination are vital.
Additionally, we continue to strengthen our long-standing relationship with H-E-B, serving as a trusted strategic partner on projects statewide, including their North Texas expansion.
These opportunities demonstrate how PermitUsNow’s processes, relationships, and reputation have evolved to support some of the largest owners and contractors in Texas.
Internally, I’ve been focused on working on advancing our franchise model, expanding our Houston, Austin and North Texas area teams to meet rising demand, and reinforcing a culture of excellence and accountability. We’ve invested in systems, training, and technology to ensure consistency across offices.
Q: As we close out 2025, how would you say your year has gone?
A: 2025 has been a year of strong growth and forward momentum for PermitUsNow. We focused on working more strategically by strengthening our relationships and refining systems to support statewide growth.
Our team delivered on major capital projects in healthcare, aviation, and retail, reinforcing our reputation as the go-to firm for timely and compliant permitting.
What I’m most proud of is how our staff showed up with excellence, collaboration, and a deep commitment to clients’ success. This year proved that great teams build great projects.
As we head into 2026, our focus remains clear: taking care of our existing clients, expanding our footprint, employing innovation, and continuing to help architects, contractors, and owners build faster and smarter across Texas and in other markets we serve in.
Q: How would you say it’s gone for permitting as a whole?
A: Permitting in 2025 has reflected the broader dynamic pulse of construction, with periods of slowdown in certain sectors like in housing, yet steady in its importance to every project’s success. While data from the Greater Houston Partnership, the Home Builders Association, and the Pool and Spa Association show permit volumes in certain markets trailing previous years, we see this as a moment to sharpen our processes, innovate, and double down on client service.
At PermitUsNow, we know that regardless of economic cycles, tariffs, or even inclement weather, permitting remains a constant and crucial step in moving projects forward. That’s why we continue to operate with diligence, speed, and precision ensuring that architects, contractors, and owners can keep building with confidence. Economists citing that fewer permits were pulled here-and-there does not mean less opportunity. It’s the opposite where it means working smarter, staying proactive, and being the dependable partner are essential as our clients have come to count on every day.
At PermitUsNow, we know that regardless of economic cycles, tariffs, or even inclement weather, permitting remains a constant and crucial step in moving projects forward. That’s why we continue to operate with diligence, speed, and precision ensuring that architects, contractors, and owners can keep building with confidence. Economists citing that fewer permits were pulled here-and-there does not mean less opportunity. It’s the opposite where it means working smarter, staying proactive, and being the dependable partner are essential as our clients have come to count on every day.
Q: Have you ever had to deal with government interference like tariffs before?
A: Yes, during the 2018 period, a prior administration implemented similar tariff measures targeting U.S. trade partners and countries viewed as economic competitors. At that time, we saw immediate ripples across the construction industry from material cost fluctuations to project reprioritization.
What that experience reinforced for us at PermitUsNow is the importance of staying adaptable and proactive. We know how to anticipate changes in the marketplace, so we communicate early with clients to keep projects moving despite uncertainty.
Regardless of tariffs or policy shifts, permitting remains essential to progress. We focus on what we can control which is accuracy, speed, and relationships so that our clients can continue building. The landscape may change, but our mission doesn’t: helping projects get permitted on time, every time.
Q: Were you prepared for something like this to happen?
A: Yes, PermitUsNow was prepared. Tariffs were imposed during the 2018 to 2019 timeframe and as stated earlier, tariffs were a key part of the 2024 presidential campaign year so it was no secret that tariffs would occur. And because of this, we observed where some astute contractors also began hedging their position in late 2024 to mitigate the impact of increased costs of construction materials and longer lead items on imported equipment.
Q: How can contractors better prepare themselves for the potential tariffs in the future?
A: I have written articles about tariffs including “5 Impacts of Tariffs on Permitting for Contractors” where I shared tips to contractors on ways to be successful in permitting in a market with high and erratic tariffs. At this juncture in 4Q 2025, a significant amount of contractors have implemented a solution to stay resilient and to manage the effects of tariffs. One way that contractors can improve is to assess their project scopes and identify ways the project can be phased. Often, phasing projects, especially large capital projects, can save time, money and allow construction to start sooner.
Q: We’re in the midst of a government shutdown. How does that change permitting? Does anything move during this time at all?
A: My next blog article titled “Navigating Local Permitting Issues During a Federal Shutdown: 5 Tips for Contractors” talks about the impact of the shutdown on developments that require federal environmental reviews and approvals to move forward. During this time, federal agencies’ staff are furloughed and when work in Washington resumes, then the wake effect occurs. This is a backlog of projects plus hundreds of pending applications going into the system that will further delay federal reviews for weeks and maybe months. Contractors are encouraged to do as much as they can in progressing local jurisdiction reviews, asking for conditional approvals where possible and definitely, reviewing project scopes and identifying how phase work in a manner that only requires local approvals. And as always with permitting, contractors should keep constant communications with local permitting centers, monitor the shutdown and be ready to re-engage quickly once Washington reopens.
Q: For those worried about the red tape of government interference in the future and how it could affect their business, what would you have to say to them?
A: As a business leader, it is important to control what you can control. And what you cannot control, identify and assess risks to project. Implement strategies and plans to mitigate future government chaos. Maintain proactive communications with key stakeholders and make sure to bring so-called bad news to light with project owners sooner than later.
