For Dave Moody, the combination of a good education, his wife, and a passion for architecture, led him to be a successful business owner.

He decided he had a passion for building, so used his knowledge of architecture as an opportunity in the construction business. Just weeks after accepting his dream job and relocating his family to Atlanta, the company that hired him went under.

Now, Dave often says, "What was my worst day became my best day."

With nothing left to lose, he started his own business.Today, that business has grown into the C.D. Moody Construction company, a full-service general commercial contractor that has worked on projects like the Turner Field Olympic Stadium, and currently partners in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

When asked if he’s a millionaire, Moody prefers not to focus on figures, but on the question of, "If we had nothing tomorrow, would people still want to be around us because of who we are or what we have? To me that’s what we look at for success. Do people feel better after being around us, or worse?"

He and his wife started a scholarship foundation in 1989, and have endowments for Georgia Perimeter College, Morehouse College, Howard University, and Central State University. He is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and speaks out about the different obstacles and how to recover.

"There is somebody out there that can change that person’s life, and instill that potential for hope. And once you touch and grab hope, boy you’re something. You can do some incredible stuff," Dave said.

To him, the American dream is that the generations to come have a desire and an opportunity to be successful, and he is trying to instill hope in those future generations through construction.