Jonathan (continued from page 32)
Best business advice I ever received: I was told a long
time ago that giving back to your community is amongst the
most important things a lawyer can do without exception.
By “giving back,” I’m not talking about running for a political
office or serving on a board for the purpose of gaining name
recognition. I’m talking about doing things that are of no
benefits to me for the sole purpose of knowing that I have
made a significant and positive change in someone’s life. I am
very fortunate that I get to do that on a daily basis.
Why I chose my career: After graduating from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree
in economics, I was working for the university in the IT
department. My girlfriend at the time was going to law school
in Chapel Hill. I picked up one of her law books one day and
I began reading. And as I read, I remember thinking “this is
fascinating!” Ten months later, I started law school. Fast
forward 11 years, here I still am, living the dream.
One thing I learned the hard way: Murphy’s Law says
something to the extent that anything that can go wrong, will
go wrong. I don’t buy into this statement completely, but I
have come to learn that life is messy, and s@&*t happens.
When life doesn’t happen the way we had planned, it’s how we
get past and learn from the situation that define who we are
as people. Sheryl Sandberg said that “the seeds of resilience
are planted in the way we process the negative events in our
lives.” If things in my life didn’t go the way they did, I wouldn’t
be the person that I am today.
Mallory (continued from page 33)
You’d never know this about me but: I am not super into
fashion! I am happy in leggings, oversized shirts/sweatshirts
and my “mom-bun”! Don’t get me wrong I love to get dolled
up occasionally, but the reason I love this business so much is
because it helps others feel good about themselves! I’ll never
forget the day one of our customers CRIED because she just
felt pretty and good in her own skin! Something she had kind
of lost in herself! She gave me full reign of picking out outfits
for her and the smile she left with that day will forever stay on
our hearts! That is why we do what we do, for our customers!!
CeCe (continued from page 34)
Best business advice I ever received: The best advice I
ever received was through observation. While I was working
at another chamber I observed one member of our board who
always seemed to gain respect and attention every time he
spoke. What I noticed over a few meetings was that he always
listened first and when he spoke everyone listened. So the
lesson is not how much you talk but how much you listen and
then speak with an informed voice.
Chris (continued from page 34)
One thing I learned the hard way: I was always a
perfectionist, which is good in some regards, but in other ways it can
be a hindrance. Early in my career, after I was promoted to a position
where I had to supervise others, I had to learn that not everyone is
going to do things my way and that I can’t always expect the same
thing of others that I expect of myself. There are no workplaces in
the world where everyone is perfect, and a successful manager is
one that can build a team and extract the best from each person by
putting them in a position to succeed.
Why I chose my career: After leaving Clemson with a degree (go
Tigers!), I ended up in Supply Chain in the manufacturing industry
for 12 years. The first 7 years were spent in the Automotive industry
in Alabama which was incredibly stressful and time consuming.
When my wife became pregnant with our first child, we decided I
had to get a job that wasn’t quite as demanding, so I ended up closer
to home in Forest City, NC in a good job in a good facility. Five years
later, it seemed like a good time to move back home and get into
the family business. I am very fortunate that my parents built such
a great business and that we were able to join in.
Why I love doing business here in Haywood County: I have
enjoyed building new and expanding current business relationships.
I think you are able to build more meaningful relationships and it
is always great to be able to see folks out and about and consider
them not just customers, but friends as well. We have 13 wonderful
employees who live in Haywood and Jackson County and work at
our locations in Waynesville and Sylva. We love keeping it local - it
is what keeps us in business!