JORDAN | SIMON

MY STORY

Originally from the small West Virginia town of Philippi, I grew up enjoying sports, reading and learning about the world of business. My father was an entrepreneur; and from an early age he would bring me along to watch as he put his talents to good use. Whether it was plumbing, working on a sawmill, or selling cars, I was right there beside him soaking up as much knowledge as I could.

As I got a bit older, I'd work at my Dad's plumbing company during summers in high school and throughout college. To me, helping out at the family business was just a summer job. It wasn't something I viewed as a full-time profession. I was more interested in pursuing a career in the corporate world. Working the trades of my Dad's business in my post-college life never even crossed my mind - because I was convinced that a more traditional, white-collar job would bring me more success.

I'm on a mission to show people that there's not this one "cookie-cutter" path to success. We're all on our own journey and it's up to us as individuals to navigate where we want to go, to define happiness in our own words, and to design the lives we want to live. Life is amazing - and it's too valuable to be lived on someone else's terms. So, let's pursue better and take this journey together!

After completing grad school, I got my dream job in the corporate world of accounting. I'd made it. I'd set a goal - and I'd achieved it; and I was excited and proud to be charting my own path to success. While I'm still incredibly proud of that success, I learned fairly quickly that sometimes what we set out to do and where we actually land can end up being the exact opposite of each other. Life is funny that way.

My professional journey shifted course a few years after getting that dream job. I had an opportunity to go back to home and help with the family business; and at the time, my family was at a crossroads. My parents were at a point in life where they were ready to retire - and I was starting to feel like I needed a change. And after coming back to help at the business I realized that by stepping in and continuing my Dad's dream of entrepreneurship, I could give back. It would be a way for me to give back to him for the knowledge, wisdom and guidance he'd given to me while I was growing up; and it was a way that I could give back to the community who had given my family the opportunity to serve and who had shown us support for all those years. 

So, in 2020 I bought into the family business. Since that time, it's seen exponential growth with multiple new locations and doubling in size. That growth has brought with it new opportunities including a home supply business and multiple real estate investments.

As is the case with all growth, the opportunities came with a new set of challenges. Things that were once easy were now a bit more difficult. Managing the growing number of employees, running multiple store locations, and learning how to delegate tasks were just a few of the things that I had to learn how to navigate. The growth in my business meant having to up my leadership game and it meant having to shift my mindset. 

Stepping into my role with the family business has been life-changing . . . in so many ways. I've grown personally and professionally; and I've discovered that being flexible with where I'm allowing my journey to take me in life is so incredibly rewarding. Doing so has allowed me to learn a lot about myself, about business, and just about life and our ability to create our own happiness. 

In addition to my job as an entrepreneur, I'm also a husband and a father of two kids. Having family, and having a business that can give back to my hometown community, are truly the greatest gifts I could have ever asked for. I'm so proud of where I am in life, and I'm equally as proud of how I got here. When I set out for that college degree and that dream job in the corporate world - I thought that's where I would stay, because it's what I was "supposed" to do. Where I actually landed though, for me, is better than any place the corporate world could have taken me.