My goal as a leader is to create a company culture that is focused on people first. While it has been an incredible honor to be nationally recognized as an executive (for instance, winning the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Southeast Award), I find that I have true fulfillment when I’ve made a positive impact on the lives of those around me.
I think “culture” and “family” are a package deal, and I often reference them together. In the organizations that I am a part of, it is easy for me to build culture because I think it goes back to my childhood. Growing up, I didn’t have the traditional nuclear family with a mother and father in the house. So, as I have matured and become a businessman, I’ve always wanted to create environments where people feel included and where it feels like a family. So, that’s what you will see when you interact with me. I genuinely care about people, and I want them to know and feel that I’m here to help them win!
It may sound cliché, but I believe that in order to build culture, you sincerely need to love people. You can’t fake culture, and people know that. For me, I love people and I love being around them. I walk my warehouse floor every Friday morning and talk to all of my team members so that I can build a connection with the people I work alongside. It helps me to learn their stories and they learn mine. No matter the walk of life any of us come from, there are universal elements that bring us together such as: wanting to belong and be apart of something bigger than ourselves. I want to create work spaces that inspire, motivate and allow individuals to feel safe enough to pursue their biggest goals.
Building a great culture is not always sunshine and rainbows; sometimes it hurts and it requires sacrifice in the short term to achieve long-term gains. I’m fortunate to have developed a wonderful team of professionals who are up to the task of doing whatever it takes – including admitting when we’ve messed up and promptly correcting our mistakes – so that we can all enjoy a culture that fosters an environment for our wildest dreams to come true.
