OPPORTUNITY: DAY 3
Thursday, February 22, 2024 Section G
Future in focus
Entrepreneurs and members of Generation Next like Courtney Blanchette (below with drama students) give local communities a dynamic outlook
G2 Thursday, February 22, 2024
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The Decatur Daily
OPPORTUNITY 2024 GENERATION NEXT: KYLE AND COURTNEY BLANCHETTE
Couple encourages theater, music in Decatur Focus on arts follows theological training By Wes Tomlinson Staff Writer
The growing diversity in Decatur and its school district, the beauty of local parks, and residents becoming more engaged in the arts are factors that have kept Kyle and Courtney Blanchette and their two daughters in the community for the past decade. While Courtney teaches in Decatur City Schools, Kyle gives music lessons. Both said they receive satisfaction from watching their students learn.
Courtney Courtney Blanchette, 41, was born and raised in Decatur and graduated from Austin High School in 2001. She said she has a “love/hate relationship” with Decatur. She remembers segregated neighborhoods during her youth but now feels the city’s residents are more accepting of people’s differences. She also has other unpleasant memories from her childhood. “A lot of that goes back to my parents’ divorce and how rough that was for my mom, being a single mother,” she said. Courtney’s mother, Sally Cates, moved to the Woodmeade neighborhood to be near her sister, enrolled in Athens State University and received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She taught at Decatur High School for 20 years before retiring. Courtney’saunt, Corkey Vann, taught at Austin High School for 30 years. Following in their footsteps, Courtney became an educator as well. She teaches theater at Decatur Middle School and is the education director for The Princess Theatre. Although she has been involved in theater for much of her life, teaching theater was not originally in her plans. “I moved to New York City when I was 18 after I had received a scholarship to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy,” Courtney said. “I was there for two and a half years and, after multiple auditions for Broadway plays, I moved back home and started going to Calhoun Community College and Athens State to become a teacher.” She received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education and then said she received another calling: ministry. “In my gut, I felt it was the right thing to do so I went to Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky where I got my master’s degree in philosophical theology and that’s where I met Kyle,” Courtney said. The two married on Christmas Day in 2009 and moved to Decatur in 2016. The Blanchettes’ two daughters, 10-yearold Vera and 6-year-old Audra, attend Woodmeade Elementary School. Courtney said she loves
Courtney Blanchette walks Decatur Middle theater students through their scenes in “Mean Girls Jr.” [TRISTAN HOLMES/FOR THE DECATUR DAILY]
Kyle Blanchette, left, teaches guitar to Blake Jump in his home studio. [JERONIMO NISA/DECATUR DAILY]
Kyle
Courtney Blanchette starts a rehearsal of “Mean Girls Jr.” at Decatur Middle School earlier this month. [TRISTAN HOLMES/FOR THE DECATUR DAILY]
the potential for change she sees in Decatur, from watching the city celebrate River City Pride and Dia De Los Muertos festivals, to watching her theater students perform at Decatur Middle School. “It’s awesome because I think we’re getting to a place where we’re not seeing as many segregated neighborhoods,” Courtney said. “Our neighbors now are all different colors and different religions and I think that’s a huge thing.” Courtney Blanchette said this diversity is essential for the growth of
Courtney Blanchette directs Katherine Hart at a rehearsal for “Mean Girls Jr.” [TRISTAN HOLMES/FOR THE DECATUR DAILY]
which has resulted in the termination of three officers and the indictment of one officer on a murder charge, would not have been achieved in the Decatur she knew in her youth. “Twenty-five years ago, there wouldn’t have been protests like this,” Courtney said. “Seeing all the protesters and white people actually supporting justice for the Perkins Courtney Blanchette does the students’ scenes with them during family, it seems like we rehearsal. [TRISTAN HOLMES/FOR THE DECATUR DAILY] didn’t have that back when I was growing up. Decatur and she feels the She said protests and This city has come a long community is embracing opposition to the police way.” diversity more every year. killing of Steve Perkins,
Kyle Blanchette, 39, teaches guitar lessons at their Southwest Decatur home and he currently has 21 students, including a father and son who take their lessons together. Blanchette was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, and fell in love with playing guitar at a young age. “I played saxophone from ages 7 through 12 and I was 13 or 14 years old when I first started playing guitar,” Blanchette said. “I think for me, it was a combination of the rock ‘n’ roll my dad would listen to in the car like Queen and Led Zeppelin and then the later Grunge era bands. Any guitar-centered music I would listen to, so it was rock and blues the whole way.” After graduating from Trinity High School, Kyle attended College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he majored in computer science. “I also took some music theory courses there and SEE BLANCHETTE, G7
ABOUT THIS SECTION
T
he Opportunity 2024 Future in Focus sections that conclude today have explored the
impact of Generation Next on local communities as well as entrepreneurs’ motivations and methods.
On the cover Decatur Middle School teacher Courtney Blanchette, center, reads through
the script of “Mean Girls Jr.” during a rehearsal with students, clockwise from top left, Colton Scruggs, Eliza Allison,
Breelly Williams and Katherine Hart. Photo by Tristan Holmes/For The Decatur Daily
The Decatur Daily
| Thursday, February 22, 2024
G3
OPPORTUNITY 2024 GENERATION NEXT: DAMON AND MYAH KNOX
Decatur offers couple a sense of home Former Michigan residents say city needs local restaurants, child care options For The Decatur Daily
When Michigan residents Damon and Myah Knox were looking for a place to live in north Alabama, they looked at Huntsville, Madison, Athens and Decatur. They chose Decatur for a reason that was close to home. They had been living in Muskegon, a small city on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. A city near the water was something they had come to love. Decatur, which sits beside the Tennessee River, offered the same charm. Like Muskegon, Decatur offers a unique view of the water, but it also offered activities ranging from fishing and boating to jet skiing and kayaking. The Knoxes moved to Decatur in December 2021 to follow Myah’s job. “We relocated for my wife’s career,” said Damon, 31, a former Michigan State defensive lineman who teaches ACT test preparation at Austin High School and coaches freshman football. “Myah is brilliant. She brings a lot to every place she works. She is a problem-solver.” Myah, 32, is an engineering laboratory manager for Constellium, a Muscle Shoals manufacturer that makes aluminum sheets for the packaging and automotive markets.
“But right on the water, there is no limit to what this town could become. We need some people who think outside the box. We also believe you invest more in local businesses.” — Damon Knox, Decatur resident on how city could become more attractive
Entrepreneurial Center and the developer of Decatur’s Best & Brightest Initiative. The initiative pays young professionals in science, technology, engineering or math, also known as STEM, up to $15,000 over five years toward their student loans as long as they live in the city. But the program also offers events to help participants get involved with other members of the program and learn about the community. Because the Knoxes already lived here when they learned of the Best & Brightest Initiative, they couldn’t qualify for a grant, but they did avail themselves of the other benefits from the initiative, including networking with fellow professionals. “They present a plethora of opportunities, whether it’s networking or putting you in touch with the right people,” Damon said of Best & Brightest. “Any Getting involved aspiration you have, they After the Knoxes had will find the resources for moved to Decatur, they you to be successful.” met John Joseph, execWhere Myah found u t i v e d i r e c t o r o f t h e opportunities to meet Decatur-Morgan County countless people in the
Damon and Myah Knox moved to Decatur a little more than two years ago. She works for Constellium in Muscle Shoals. He teaches and coaches at Austin High. [COURTESY PHOTO]
STEM industries, Damon met people in education to not only network with but to become friends with. Although Damon said the program wanted Myah, it led to him getting a job with Decatur City Schools. “It has been a blessing to meet individuals from Best & Brightest,” he said, adding they have been the definition of Southern hospitality. “Some of my colleagues have been extremely helpful with having a little one and with bringing a family-oriented environment.” This was particularly valuable to the Knoxes
Damon Knox, who is now a resident of Decatur teaching and coach-
because they moved to ing freshman football at Austin High, is a former Michigan State an area where they were defensive lineman (93). He played against Alabama on Dec. 31, 2015, during the College Football Playoff semifinals in Arlington, without family.
Perspective on community
Texas, and put a hit on Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2). [GARY COSBY JR./TUSCALOOSA NEWS/FILE]
Sometimes there is no more valuable perspective than that of an outsider looking in, and the Knoxes have that where the city is concerned. They said Decatur needs some growth and development to be the best city they can imagine. “Decatur has the potential ... to be a tourist town, but it needs more restaurants and places to hang out in the evening,” Damon said. Both Knoxes said they
think of Muskegon, a city of close to 40,000 people, and believe Decatur has the potential to be as inviting. “I think they are on the right path,” he said. “Decatur is a town of tradition, and so there are a lot of people here in leadership who are older and not familiar with development around the country. But right on the water, there is no limit to what this town could become. We need some
people who think outside the box. We also believe you invest more in local businesses.” For example, they said there were many chain restaurants but not a lot of individually owned and operated restaurants. Also, the Knoxes said many establishments close early at night while in nearby Madison and Huntsville that doesn’t happen. SEE KNOX, G7
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G4 Thursday, February 22, 2024
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The Decatur Daily
OPPORTUNITY 2024 ENTREPRENEUR: KEITH JACKSON
Keith Jackson stands in the Decatur warehouse of the plumbing, heating and cooling business he built and still manages for Ace Hardware. [PHOTOS BY BRUCE MCLELLAN/FOR THE DECATUR DAILY]
Building business involves more than technical skill Owner studies leadership, learns to value ‘team members’
By Bruce McLellan For The Decatur Daily
You could say getting into the plumbing business occurred accidentally for Keith Jackson’s family. You can’t say success came accidentally. Jackson took intentional steps to improve his management skills and business practices. He took his biggest leap forward about nine years ago with an about-face in philosophy that powered growth for what is now Jackson Plumbing, Heating and Cooling based in Decatur. “The defining moment for me was in the fall of 2015,” Jackson said. “I just finally said, ‘Keith, you got to go to work on Keith.’ And once I did, as soon as I started writing down goals for myself and then started writing down goals and a vision statement for the company and sharing that with our employees, they got on board. … “We went in 2015 from eight employees to today we got 44 employees. I call them team members.” His refined management focused on treating employees with respect and helping them improve their lives. “I thought a leader was like Bob Knight who yelled and screamed if you do something wrong (and that) I could yell at you or scream at you and you’d get better. Nobody wants to work in that environment,” he said. “Folks now when I talk to them say, ‘Hey, I can’t believe you were like that.’ “I was like that.”
The beginning When East Highland Baptist Church in Hartselle constructed its building in the early 1970s, church members volunteered for much of the work. Only one member, Ralph Jackson, had plumb ing experience, having plumbed his own house. “He told them, ‘I’ll take care of getting the
Keith Jackson, left, gives a thumbs-up earlier this month to Matthew Huff, a lead plumber. Jackson says his management philosophy has evolved so that he treats workers as team members rather than employees.
plumbing done,’” Keith Jackson said. “So while he worked his full-time job, he plumbed that building with help from the volunteers in the church.” Once the church plumbing was complete, word got out about Ralph Jackson’s skill. “People started calling and saying, ‘Hey Ralph, will you plumb our new house we’re building?’ So that’s how he got started being what he called a moonlighter plumber.” With six children at home, Ralph found the extra money from parttime plumbing came in handy to supplement his income from a full-time factory job. “At the time they built that church I was 9 years old,” Keith Jackson said. “As soon as he started going out to new houses and all, if I wasn’t in school, I wanted to be with him. That’s the best way to get to spend time with your dad. “We spent lots of Saturday afternoons under crawl spaces plumbing houses and listening to Alabama football on a transistor radio.” By the time Keith was 14 or 15, Ralph was referring
to him as his partner in Jackson Plumbing. The younger Jackson not only learned the plumbing trade from his father, he learned a strong work ethic. “Working with him, he was old school,” Keith Jackson said. “He didn’t sit around idle. You worked.” After Jackson graduated from high school in 1979, he attended Calhoun Community College at night but demand for plumbers dropped dramatically as rising inflation put a damper on new home sales and construction. Jackson instead went to work for Cerrowire and later took other factory jobs.
Hardships Not long after he went to work at Saginaw Steering Gear’s Limestone County plant in the mid-1980s, General Motors announced plans for layoffs. The plumbing work that had been dormant for several years became attractive as a second job to provide insurance. “So for 10 solid years I did both. I worked second and third shift over there (at Saginaw) and plumbed houses during the day, which I don’t recommend to anybody.”
Then tragedy struck in 1995. The unexpected death of his wife Donna left Jackson with two daughters, ages 6 and 10. He thought he’d have more flexibility to spend time with his daughters if he began plumbing full time. So he left Saginaw in 1996 and ran a full-time plumbing business with a couple of part-time workers. “It didn’t actually give me freedom,” he said. “I was at home at night though. I started working 12- and 14-hour days.” When he remarried in 1997, he and his wife, Lori, had a blended family with three daughters — Ashley, Emily and Meagan — and a plumbing business that often struggled. “I worked really, really hard because I was a plumber and I had a couple of guys who helped me,” Keith Jackson said. “I had no idea about running a business. You know, how to price things correctly. It was really tough. It seemed like the harder I worked, the deeper the hole got.” Jackson began reading more about business practices to improve his skills. He also joined a contractors’ network. “There was a lot of men
and women in there who were very successful in the plumbing, heating and cooling and electrical world,” Jackson said. “So I started networking with them and started learning a little bit at that time about hiring, about managing people. … “But every time (that) times got hard, I reverted back to trying to work 12 or 14 hours a day — physically to outwork … that treadmill.” The business had spurts where revenue increased, but then something would happen and it would revert to its previous size. Still he and Lori, who helped run the office, remained determined to grow a business. “I just always want to build it and get bigger. I don’t know why. I just had so much ambition,” he said. “We wanted to create a place that people could work and have security and feel good about what they do.” In 2006, the couple made a 10-year agreement to run a Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchise. “I thought they could teach me more about how to run a business. And they basically had a system, and I thought, ‘Well, if we use
that system, we’ll be able to grow our business.’” He and his wife did learn from the experience but still couldn’t gain the traction they wanted. “It would get up to six or seven employees (along with) Lori and I, and then we’d lose a couple of them and we couldn’t replace them. There was like a lid.” Then his father died in 2014 and that led to several months of struggling and reflection. His leadership reached a low during that time when two employees were installing plumbing for a new home in Cullman. “I’d shown them how to do it,” Jackson said. “I got there. They had done it totally different. It wasn’t up to my standards. Unfortunately, and I hate to admit this, it’s embarrassing, but I pitched a fit. Kicking, stomping, threw my phone. “I rode back to Decatur and I was ashamed of myself. That’s when ... I said I’ve got to do something and I started working on me.” He said he recognized it wasn’t employees holding back the business. “The problem was me or my lack of leadership skills.” He became more involved with John C. Maxwell’s organization and went to Maxwell Leadership conferences. “I understood that no business, no team, no organization will outgrow its leader. So if the leader is not growing, the organization is not going to grow. That’s when I quit seeing employees as employees. They became team members, and I started listening to them and trying to figure out what it is that they really wanted out of life.”
Nurturing employees He began not only trying to train employees in a trade “but to teach them how to have a happy, successful life.” He brought in advisers to talk to employees about personal finances. He started working with Eagle Consulting in Decatur to have their counselors SEE JACKSON, G7
The Decatur Daily
| Thursday, February 22, 2024 G5
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G6 Thursday, February 22, 2024
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The Decatur Daily
OPPORTUNITY 2024 GENERATION NEXT & ENTREPRENEUR: ALEDRA WARREN
Aledra Warren enjoys the sunshine as she walks in Wilson Morgan Park on a bright and warm winter morning. She said she often unwinds by taking walks at the park and other places. [PHOTOS BY JERONIMO NISA/DECATUR DAILY]
From math to makeup
save money on taxes. UNA grad finds and On top of that, she owns it all fits perfectly her own makeup business — Aledra Kay Makeup in Decatur — where she enhances natBy Jean Cole
For The Decatur Daily
Aledra Warren believes there’s no place like home, and home for her is right here in Decatur. While some of her Generation Next cohorts have gone to college and left the area to pursue their careers, Warren, a Decatur native, has found job opportunities here. “I believe this area offers opportunities, but I also feel compelled to create those opportunities myself,” she said. “I’m confident I can carve out a space for myself here.” The job opportunity she imagines is being her own boss, something she is working on already. Warren, 33, is an accountant for Cerrowire in Decatur but she also owns Warren Accounting Solutions, her own accounting company that helps small businesses grow their companies
ural beauty with makeup, usually for a fee. After graduating from Austin High School in 2010, Warren went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Alabama in Florence in 2015. She is a four-time recipient of the Daikin scholarship through the Decatur Morgan County Minority Development Association and she is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. Currently, she’s working on her master’s degree in accounting at UNA. After earning her bachelor’s degree in accounting, Warren first worked in the accounting department of Decatur poultry producer and processor Wayne Farms. At the same time, she worked at the Decatur salon Anointed Hands, where she provided
In addition to working in accounting for Cerrowire, Aledra Warren owns Warren Accounting Solutions and Aledra Kay Makeup.
makeup services.
Enhancing beauty Makeup application is not something Warren learned in college. “As a self-taught makeup artist, I spent many hours practicing on family and friends,” Warren said. “I was blessed to have them in my life. They believed in me before I could believe in myself.” Warren has held a passion for the artistry “since she was a little girl playing in her mom’s red lipstick,”
she said. “Makeup can be expensive, and at times I am not always seeing revenue,” she said. “My corporate job in accounting helps fuel my passion in the art. I love (makeup artistry) so much I can do it for free.” As a way to give back to her community, she has sometimes offered free makeup services to students attending proms. Though these are early days, she already has a long-term plan for her makeup business.
“I plan to expand Aledra drew her back to the area, Kay Makeup into a major she said. makeup brand around the “I invest in my comglobe,” she said. munity by voting for representatives that I feel Community and will make a change in my young professionals life,” she said. While Warren sees many In addition to donatopportunities in Decatur, ing makeup services for many she’s carved out prom goers and money for herself, she’s not shy to The Mom Spot, which about saying Decatur could raises money for children’s do better for its young school supplies, Warren professionals. said she’s “also donated to “I believe Decatur lacks various groups around the expansion and catering community that align with to young professionals,” my values.” Warren said. “There’s She can be found many a need for more enter- days walking at Wilson tainment options in the Morgan Park on her work area, especially live music breaks. She has a hybrid venues. I’ve heard discus- schedule at Cerrowire sions about expanding the that allows her to work boardwalk by the river, remotely from home some and I think investing in days. that part of town could “I always take a break attract people, including just to get a peace of mind,” those with corporate jobs, she said. “Sometimes when to consider living in this we have a lot going on, we area.” just need a break.” While the two job offers — Wayne Farms Family guidance and Anointed Hands — The thought of being were what brought her near family while carving physically back to her out a career and life for hometown, it was really her herself seemed as possible desire to invest in her community that emotionally SEE WARREN, G7
GENERATION NEXT & ENTREPRENEUR: SAM COOK
Decatur provides good base for building business By Deborah Storey For The Decatur Daily
Get ready for a very short lesson on construction before you read about one of Decatur’s most successful young people. Don’t worry, it’s quick. Sam Cook’s company in Decatur, Cook’s Building Supply, sells rebar. You may know at least that rebar refers to those long, steel, crimpedlooking bars you see lying around building sites. The word rebar is actually short for reinforcing bar, which helps increase the strength of concrete. Workers typically lay the bars in a grid then pour concrete on top. No buildings go up until that foundation is solid. “On a new construction job, rebar would be cut and bent to the engineer’s
specs and installed into the ground prior to the concrete being poured so it can strengthen the concrete so it can withstand holding structures,” Cook explained. Cook’s business sells a lot of it — so much that big CBS 18-wheelers roll the company’s rebar across Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida and elsewhere. Cook, 32, was born in Chattanooga but moved with his family to Huntsville, then Decatur. The company started in 2011. “We saw a need in the community,” he said. It took a couple of years for the building supply company to get off the ground, he said. “It began to grow around 2016 when the economy strengthened,” Cook said.
He doesn’t like to brag, but their website shows CBS has been involved in providing rebar bars and cages for some massive projects. There’s the 1,300-plus tons they sold for 3M’s water quality buildings; 800-plus tons for Nucor Tubular Products; 300-plus tons for the Morgan County Jail; 300-plus for Priceville High School; and more than 270 tons for Buc-ee’s in Athens. The list goes on: Dura Auto Building Expansion in Muscle Shoals, Food Bank of North Alabama, Teledyne Brown and the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Huntsville, buildings at Fort McClellan in Anniston, Nashville International Airport hangars, and Bocar U.S. in Mooresville. They made light pole bases for the Facebook
Data Center Courtyard in Huntsville. Online business testimonials praise Cook’s company as dependable, accurate, honest and “second to none.” Fite Building Co. in Decatur is a customer of CBS. “They’ve been a go-to supplier for us,” said J. Robert Fite, a vice president with Fite Building. “They’ve always been johnny-on-the-spot and help us with our rebar and wire-mesh needs.” The Cook’s Building Supply operation consists of two buildings totaling roughly 10,000 square feet on Southfield Drive off U.S. 31. The company employs about 20 people, he said — a big change from just two or three when it started. The name makes it sound
like a Home Depot, but it really isn’t. People don’t go in to buy a pack of nails or a couple of light fixtures. “I guess the name is a little misleading,” Cook says. “Our main focus is rebar fabrication. We sell some items used in construction — mainly rebar and concrete accessories.” Cook is a busy guy, but he does have a little spare time that he likes to spend hunting or fishing. He likes to hunt in public land around the Bankhead National Forest, or on private property in Colbert County. “I like the access to the river,” said Cook, who lives close to the water. Decatur’s waterfront is a good place for any business looking for a place to grow, he suggests. “Decatur is the largest port on the Tennessee
River,” he noted. “With all the industry on this river, it provides a lot of opportunities for companies to come here.” He mentions examples like big Decatur companies United Launch Alliance, 3M, Nucor Corp. and Daikin America Inc. With his own successful business, an upcoming seven-year wedding anniversary and nearby places to shoot turkeys and catch bass, Decatur has proved to be a good place for Sam Cook to live his best life. “I like the people here,” he says simply. He’s grateful, too. “I feel like a big part of me and who I am and the success that I’ve had is from putting all our trust into God,” Cook said thoughtfully. “Without him, none of this would have been possible.”
The Decatur Daily
| Thursday, February 22, 2024
G7
OPPORTUNITY 2024
Kyle Blanchette teaches a variety of music, from heavy metal to jazz. [PHOTOS BY JERONIMO NISA/DECATUR DAILY]
BLANCHETTE From Page G2
had a chance to play with members of the Boston Pops Orchestra,” Kyle said. “I was also in a Led Zeppelin cover band.” Afterward, Kyle pursued graduate degrees at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, where he received a
master’s degree in philosophical theology and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he received a master’s degree in philosophy. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Rochester in New York. Kyle teaches a variety of music, from heavy metal to jazz, and said his music horizons have broadened after showing students
how to play their favorite songs. Both Kyle and Courtney are grateful for the opportunities to instill their love of theater and music in their students, and Kyle said he would love to see his students form their own bands or release original music one day. “I have a lot of students who want to be in bands and hopefully, if I get more students, we can
make that happen,” Kyle said. “I want to connect them by helping them meet each other or even by posting group (video) lessons. I can play the drums while they jam and that’s one of the things I’m trying to teach them now is how to play with a drummer.” — wes.tomlinson@ decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.
Kyle Blanchette teaches a guitar lesson in his home studio.
JACKSON From Page G4
talk to his employees who were dealing with personal issues. “I saw so many people that worked for us that they’ve helped through a tough spot in their life and then the person becomes a very, very valued employee because they were struggling so far with their outside home life they couldn’t even concentrate on work until they got some of those things situated,” Jackson said. He also gave employees more grace when they made mistakes. “Usually when someone messes up, it’s a training issue,” Jackson said. “It’s not because they want to.” For the past few years he has worked with Dan Durbin and Durbin Leadership to help develop both him and the business’s leadership team, which will become increasingly important in a transition from his ownership to being a part of Ace Hardware. “I love teaching people the trades. My dad was a craftsman, a tradesman.
KNOX
From Page G3
Damon said he likes the Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. in downtown Decatur, which offers good music, food and craft beer, and would like to see more such establishments. Myah named the Stovehouse in Huntsville, the former Martin Stove Factory, with its outdoor food court, multiple restaurants and outdoor seating. She mentioned also Campus 805 in Huntsville, the former Stone Middle School building converted for restaurants and music that retains its classroom atmosphere with lockers
Core values and a mission statement hang in the training space at Jackson Plumbing, Heating and Cooling on U.S. 31 in Decatur. [BRUCE MCLELLAN/FOR THE DECATUR DAILY]
And I love teaching that and passing that on. But I also love seeing people being successful, and I knew in the trades that they could be (by) creating an environment where people who chose not to go to college could come to work and within a matter of just a few years be very, very successful.” Jackson said a newcomer to plumbing can work a couple of years as an
apprentice and then take a state certification exam. “And you become very valuable, not only to the workplace but to society.” The changes in leadership priorities have worked. The company added HVAC services in 2016, a septic tank pumping and drain cleaning service in 2019 and electrical services in 2021. The company also turned its philosophy of being
service oriented into a slogan, “Jackson Fast,” and started a series of television commercials that first aired on the Super Bowl in 2016. “I realized that there was such a demand for someone to show up the day-of or the next day to get your home back up and working. You know, your plumbing system. Your heating and cooling, your electrical. And that’s how Jackson
Fast was born. And that became our niche.” Jackson was named the Raymon Baker — John Cook — Ralph Jones Small Business Person of the Year in 2022 by the DecaturMorgan County Chamber of Commerce. Crystal Brown, president and CEO of the chamber, said Jackson’s ability to transform his leadership was impressive. “Just the way he and his
and old classroom doors. Aside from a lack of nightlife, Myah has only one other issue with Decatur, one that many moms must face — a lack of day care options. Before she even needed day care for their child, she started calling around and was stunned by what she learned. Not only were there not many choices, but the ones available often had substantially long waiting lists. Lack of choice also means that when prices increase, parents have little recourse. This lack of options surprised her and she believes it needs to be remedied. All in all, the Knoxes think Decatur has great
potential, but it needs to keep reaching and get guidance from youth. “You have to find opportunities for young people to come back home,” said Damon, who added that as an educator he hears what young people want and do not have. “They are very limited on where they can go, where they can hang out and have fun and thrive in a safe and enjoyable environment,” he said. “It’s all in the hands of the youth because they are the ones who are going to be here,” Damon said. “They have a voice, but they have to do it in the proper manner. Vote and talk to city officials.”
WARREN
me to go back to get my master’s, saying, ‘we get degrees around here.’” Kamelia, who is a bit of an overachiever herself, has three college degrees, Warren noted. “She has helped shape and guide me through my life,” she said. “I love that she supports me and everything that I do from makeup to accounting. … She is my biggest cheerleader. I absolutely love and adore her.”
From Page G6
in Decatur as it did anywhere. Her mother, Willie Mae Warren, is a Decatur native, and her late father, Willie B. Mason, hailed from Courtland. Her sister, Kamelia Warren, has been teaching in Decatur for 20 years and is head of her department at Decatur High School. She often looks to her sister for what she needs to sustain her. “My sister Kamelia is such a gem; a beautiful person inside and out,” Warren said. “She has always supported me through my dreams and goals. She encouraged
wife grew that company is positively amazing,” Brown said. “His passion for growing people was a big part of that (award) as well.” Although Jackson still runs the business as general manager, he sold his interest in it to a private equity group in 2022. “I’d had a little health scare a couple of years ago. It just made it the right thing to do,” said Jackson, who is 62. Last year, Ace Hardware acquired Jackson Plumbing, Heating and Cooling from the private equity firm and also purchased more than a dozen other service businesses as part of plans to expand offerings to homeowners. “They’re going to use our business model and adapt it to some of the things that Ace does,” Jackson said. He said he’s glad to be associated with Ace because its corporate values align with his. “You got to realize … you make plumbing repairs, you fix people’s heating and cooling units, you do electrical service, but it’s about people. It’s relationships.” Relationships with customers. And employees.
her hair being different, her name being uneasy to pronounce (it’s ah-leedrah) and her sense that she is being put under a microscope. She said anything that is different will stand out. “I don’t ever get angry, I just use this as fuel to keep on achieving my goals,” Warren said. “I own two businesses, I have a corporate job and I am going back to school for a master’s. I am not letting anything stop me Challenges from reaching my goals.” Warren has also had to Despite the obstacles, overcome some challenges she said, “I see my unique to get where she is. perspective as a strength Warren said she has and I am dedicated to faced many challenges in driving positive change the workplace as a member in my businesses and of a minority group, from community.”
G8 Thursday, February 22, 2024
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The Decatur Daily
OPPORTUNITY 2024 GENERATION NEXT: RUTH SEIBERT
Student’s goal is to help others
Athens State’s Seibert has heart for those with special needs By Erica Smith Staff Writer
While unsure what path she will take after graduating Athens State University, Ruth Seibert said she wants to complete her degree to have the option to teach those with special needs, and perhaps even those with blindness. “My main goal in life is I want to help others in any way possible,” Seibert said. “Whether that’s through teaching, teaching in classrooms or teaching piano, or being a reading tutor. Any of that I would like to do.” In 2019, Seibert, 20, volunteered at a BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) Academy summer camp in Madison for the visually impaired. “I was with a girl who was probably about 10 or 11 (years old) and she was visually impaired, but she also had cognitive difficulties as well. So, I was her helper through most of the camp,” Seibert said. “I just remember having a lot of joy from doing that, just being able to be there for her and help her. She was such a blessing. She was so happy all the time and I just loved being able to spend time with her,” she said. Seibert said she hopes she made an impact on the girl at the camp. “I hope that I made the camp a little more fun for her and more relaxing by being able to help her throughout the day,” she said. “Just kind of help her walk through everything and encourage her to do more activities as well.” Seibert’s older brother lost his eyesight as an adult as the result of a car accident. “I’ve seen all the things involved with learning Braille and assistive technology. It’s been very interesting,” Seibert said. “I actually learned how to read Braille by sight. I’m afraid I haven’t kept up with it very well. I can still read slowly by sight, but I cannot do it by touch.” Seibert said she was inspired by both the girl at the camp and her brother to try to learn Braille.
education. “Basically, I’m helping kids with special needs in elementary education,” she said. “I wasn’t completely decided from the beginning that I was going to do education, but as I did it, I realized I liked it, and I kept going since then.” Ashley Virgin, Athens State assistant professor of special education, taught Seibert last fall. “She’s the kind of student you dream of teaching. She really is an asset to our university,” she said. “Specifically for me, her leadership, her contributions in the classroom, and her intelligence really just set the standard for excellence.” Seibert said she is only taking a few classes at a time but hopes to graduate around the fall of 2025. “I’m not necessarily planning on going directly into the public schools right now. … I’m taking it one step at a time,” she said. “I want to get the degree so I’ll have the ability to teach in whatever way that God places in front of me.” Virgin said Seibert has a heart and a passion for serving those with disabilities. “She has a very humble approach to the way she takes on things. She’s very intelligent, she retains all the information, she’s just a sponge for information, and Athens State University student Ruth Seibert has been inspired to help others by her older brother, who lost his eyesight as an adult, and her desire to serve those by individuals she has already assisted. [PHOTOS BY JERONIMO NISA/DECATUR DAILY] with disabilities is just admirable to me,” Virgin said. “I’m just so confident in my experiences with her that she’s going to make an immense impact on students and parents and even her colleagues at her future school.” Seibert works part time at Athens State as an Athenian Ambassador where she signs up to assist at different events. She said her favorite event was helping with the Fiddlers Convention last fall. “My main job then was to help get competitors registered, helping them As an Athenian Ambassador, Athens State University student Ruth get on stage, making sure Seibert volunteers to help at different events, such as keeping Ruth Seibert is working on a bachelor’s degree in elementary/colthat they had everything scores during a high school Scholars Bowl competition at the laborative education at Athens State after previously attending that they needed, and make university. Calhoun Community College. sure everybody was in the right order,” Seibert said. “Even though she was was, and I remember it, but I did it because my degree in general stud- “It was kind of crazy, but visually impaired and had thinking, you know, if brother was blind, too.” ies with a concentration it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed cognitive disability, she she can do that, I’m sure I Seibert moved with her in elementary education. seeing the backstage of was able to remember all can,” she said. “I was able family from Maryland Seibert started attend- everything.” the different dots of the to do a course for free … . I to Ardmore in 2008. She ing Athens State in the different letters. She com- had an online teacher, they graduated from Calhoun fall of 2022 and is working —erica.smith@decapletely impressed me with sent me the course materi- Community College in on a bachelor’s degree in turdaily.com or how amazing her memory als. She inspired me to do 2022 with an associate’s elementary/collaborative 256-340-2460.
Young professionals make their mark on Decatur By Wes Tomlinson Staff Writer
Three members of Young Professionals of Decatur found various reasons to make the city their home. The YPDecatur organization helps young individuals network and receive guidance on their careers.
Amber Blue Growing up in Las Vegas, Decatur resident Amber Blue said she would have never imagined the caves and landscapes she would discover in north Alabama, but that was before she received a scholarship to Alabama A&M University and began a career in conservation. Blue, 29, said her interest in agriculture began as a child by nurturing and growing plants. “I’ve just always loved everything about agriculture and nature,” Blue said. “From the plants to the soil to the trees.” Blue was recruited by Alabama A&M for their forestry program,
graduating in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a focus on soil visits and a minor in geographical information systems. She began work as a soil conservationist for Morgan County a little over two years ago. “I moved to Philadelphia after college, but I wasn’t working in my field and that’s what I wanted to do,” Blue said. “So I ended up getting this job in Morgan County. When I first started working this job, I was living in north Huntsville so I was driving 45 minutes on a good day.” After eight months of long commuting, a coworker told her about Decatur’s Best and Brightest Initiative, a program designed to recruit young professionals to live and work in the city. It offers up to $15,000 over five years toward their student loans if they move to the city. The program also includes events that allow participants to interact and learn more about the community.
Blue immediately took interest. “It’s really been the Best and Brightest Blue Initiative that’s kept me here in Decatur,” Blue said. “It’s just the support they’ve given me and the love they’ve provided me.” Blue said she was impressed with the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and the ecosystems located there. “Going to Alabama A&M, I rarely left Huntsville,” Blue said. “Sometimes, for a class trip, we would go to Bankhead National Forest for a field study or something. Now, living in Morgan County and being a conservationist, I’ve discovered north Alabama has a lot of caves.” Blue said in her research, she’s found most caves in north Alabama are located on private properties. “What’s really cool is pictures you see on National Geographic of caves or
natural features in the Amazon; well, we have really amazing caves here Jones in Alabama,” Blue said. “I went to Hurricane Creek Park near Cullman and I camped and toured the caves and I was blown away. I never thought I would see something like this in Alabama.”
Brandon Jones Decatur native Brandon “BJ” Jones, 29, said Decatur will always be near and dear to him. “My whole family is here, so I like living here because it’s what I’m familiar and comfortable with,” Jones said. “I have a lot of friends here and I go to church here at Calvary Assembly of God, right across the bridge. With young professionals embracing the community, it just gave me the idea to stay here in Decatur.” After graduating from Austin High School, Jones
attended BirminghamSouthern College for a year on a football Melton scholarship before returning home. For almost a year now, Jones has been working at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in the paint department. He said participating in Young Professionals of Decatur gives him a sense of fulfillment and he hopes more young people will invest in Decatur. “I know me, I just like serving and being a part of the community,” Jones said. “YP gives you that space to do that so I feel very thankful for them.”
Bob Jones High School in Madison and the University of North Alabama, Melton moved to Decatur in July 2020. “I was teaching music full time in Madison County and when this job opportunity opened up, I couldn’t resist,” Melton said. “This was the place for me and I didn’t want to make the commute from Huntsville so that’s why I moved here.” Melton, 34, said the quiet, small-town atmosphere is what he admires about Decatur the most and he does not believe Huntsville and Decatur are too different. “It would be cool to see young people support Decatur,” Melton said. “It’s not a huge scene here from what I can tell, but I Zack Melton think there can be. I think Zack Melton, has made if people want to start his mark in Decatur by businesses that put the leading the Decatur High community first, they can School band as assistant do that here.” band director and percussion director. — wes.tomlinson@ Growing up in Hunts- decaturdaily.com or ville and graduating from 256-340-2442.
The Decatur Daily
| Thursday, February 22, 2024
G9
OPPORTUNITY 2024 ENTREPRENEUR: REGGIE JACKSON
Fitness trainer’s niche is motivating clients Army background leads to business venture By Bayne Hughes Staff Writer
Army background A Detroit, Michigan, native, Jackson moved to Decatur when he was 13 because his mother moved back to her hometown. He graduated from Decatur High School in 1990. Jackson served four years in the U.S. Army. He was a nuclear, biological and chemical specialist. This included going to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm to deal with the threat of chemical nerve
Reggie Jackson conducts an online fitness class. His classes focus on weight training, nutritional guidance and motivation, his specialty as a trainer. [PHOTOS BY JERONIMO NISA/DECATUR DAILY]
agents deployed by Scud missiles. “Our job was to recognize, address, recon and decontaminate personnel, equipment and vehicles,” he said. Jackson said he developed his workout plan in the military. While the Army’s fitness plan in basic training is meant to make sure a large group meets a basic acceptable fitness level, he said he realized that individual plans help everyone reach their own goal. “Some did better and some barely made it,” Jackson said. “I thought it was great that anybody, and I mean anybody, could have the opportunity to improve their body and their health. “In turn, that also helped people in other areas of their lives —improved selfesteem and confidence, increased productivity and ambition for what they could do and what is possible for them,” he said. At the end of his military service, Jackson was one of 18 people to make the all-Army boxing team stationed at Fort Hood in Fort Hood, Texas. “I was on special duty,” Jackson said. “I didn’t have to do any more military stuff. I just had to fight and win.” Jackson moved to several different states after getting out of the service before returning to Decatur. He started his personal training business 13 years ago. He has done large groups, but he still prefers groups of one to four people. He said working with a small group allows him to create specific and individual workout programs and nutrition plans that fit into their lifestyles. “You can’t do that with 30 people at one time,” Jackson said. “I ran really be engaged with the exercises I was asking them to do. I can make sure their form was correct. I could really explain how the muscles should feel while we’re lifting weights.” Macklin worked out with Jackson for about three years until his schedule and time with his daughter began to interfere. He said he likes the workout programs Jackson created for him. “They’re a combination of strength and conditioning with encouragement that make you feel good about yourself,” Macklin said. “He’s very passionate about what he does.” Jackson also includes life lessons that “just made me a better person from working
Reggie Jackson, right, conducts an online fitness class with a group of clients as Brett Eltrain, who’s also client of Jackson’s, helps demonstrate the exercises.
out with him,” Macklin said. Macklin said they worked out together about four days a week in the evenings after work at Jackson’s facility in the E-Center. He said he weighed about 280 pounds when he started with Jackson and is now at about 208 pounds. “The main thing he taught me was consistency,” Macklin said. “He will get you to a point that then it’s up to you to keep going. We don’t work out together now, (but) I’m still pretty regular with my workouts.”
Reggie Jackson, right, works with Brett Eltrain in his fitness studio at the Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center. Jackson began streaming workouts online about three years ago.
Salesman Of The Year 2023!
Online workouts added About three years ago, Jackson went high-tech and began streaming his workouts online. He said E-Center Executive Director John Joseph made him aware of firms looking to invest in businesses like his. Bronze Valley, an earlystage investment firm in Birmingham, provided $10,000 last year, Five times a day, Jackson streams his workouts with one or two clients. He explains in detail the exercises, the movement and why they’re doing the selected exercise. “I want them to see that it’s just regular people who work out, not just some 20-year-old fit body,” Jackson said. He also works with schools to offer virtual P.E. in which students and their parents can do the workouts that are live and pre-recorded. “This creates a bond between the students and the parents because they’re doing fitness together,” Jackson said. “They can do the exercises with their families, friends or co-workers whenever possible.” — bayne.hughes@ decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @ DD_BayneHughes.
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Local trainer Reggie Jackson believes he alone can offer the “special Reggie factor” that leads to a commitment to fitness. Jackson’s fitness businesses are growing in two areas. One is PHIT (Personal Health In Training), which involves in-person training classes at the Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center on Fourth Avenue Southeast. The other is Peak U online live and taped classes in partnerships with businesses, schools and individuals. Jackson is training about 20 clients through PHIT, and his online classes have about 150 clients. He said this numbers are still manageable so he’s a one-man business right now. He prefers it this way, although he would like to add an employee or two in the future. “We’re able to bond and have a good time while we work out,” Jackson said. “I’m not where I can trust someone else to be engaged and charismatic or as motivational as I am.” His classes focus on weight training, nutritional guidance and — the most important thing — motivation. This is where the “special Reggie factor” is the most effective, Jackson said. “Motivation is where a lot of fitness businesses and training lose their customers,” he said. Christy Richardson, a local real estate attorney, has been a Jackson client for about eight years because of the “Reggie factor.” “He’s a good trainer,” Richardson said. “He listens to you. He understands what your goals are. He knows my goals aren’t to be a weightlifter. I’m not trying to look like him.” Richardson said Jackson “is so kind. He encourages you and motivates you. He makes you want to continue reaching goals.” For example, she said she began having problems with her knee, so she quit working out last summer to let it heal, However, Jackson urged her not to stop. “He said, ‘Look, we’ll change your plan, and we’ll make sure you’re not putting any pressure on that knee. You just need to get back here. You need to be here,’” Richardson said. She said she usually works out with Jackson during her daily lunch break just to stay in shape. “I just knew I needed someone like him to push me,” Richardson said. “And it’s more about you and what your needs are. He’s just that type of person.” Jonathan Macklin, a Decatur Police Department school resource officer at Austin High School, said Jackson’s “spirit” makes him special as a friend and trainer. “It’s a lot more than weight loss,” Macklin said. “Some of his clients didn’t have a very good self-esteem.”
G10 Thursday, February 22, 2024
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The Decatur Daily
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