SYNERGY - Juneteenth 2022

Ishmael Rentz

Story By: Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Sometimes you talk to someone who is a fountain of wisdom. You walk away having learned something new with a desire to keep learning and becoming a better person. Ishmael Rentz is the type of person who inspires you to grow. As he says, “I like to learn and be better than what I am now.”

Ishmael has lived in Gainesville, Florida for most of his life. He graduated from Santa Fe High School and went on to Florida A&M University where he earned a business degree. He currently serves as the Director of Operations at Elevated Design and Construction and previously served as President of S.L. Construction & Remodeling, a company founded by his father, Saul Rentz. He has been married for 25 years to his wife Tarcha who he describes as, “my primary inspiration…she gives me confidence.” He has a 17-year-old son, Ian, and a 15-year-old daughter, Ieve.

He attributes his success in business to his faith and his parents. He says of his mother, Alice Ross, that she is “the core part of who I am.” He feels blessed to have a stepmother, Deloris Rentz, who he describes as his bonus mother, who emphasized education. Having served as a long-term educator, his stepmother “really pushed education.”

When asked what his greatest accomplishment is, he says, “The ability to survive it all. In business, there are ups and downs but having the resiliency to keep moving forward and forget the things that are behind while striving for the next best thing is key to survival.”, according to him.

While striving to be a better person and keep leading his business, he focuses on his children’s future and being there for them. He strives to “take everything I have known and learned and be able to pour it into them.”

There are a few lessons he believes people need to learn to be successful. “Work hard. Believe in one’s self, in your abilities. Don’t allow anyone to tell you differently. There is power in words, so you have to protect your peace. Strive to be a forever learner. Never think you know enough. There is always something more to learn and you can learn from almost anybody.”

Goal-setting is important in leadership, Ishmael believes. “Goal-setting at least gives a good direction but at the same time, you need to be flexible. Just being able to set a course and take the journey to the end.” Quoting Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps,” he pointed out that we never know what lies ahead. “You just never know what is in front of you but you know where you are going. Goal-setting helps the journey.”

He finds the courage to lead as a businessman from his faith in God and from within himself. “I’m trusting that I’m using the skills and knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years to forge ahead. Mad confidence in what my abilities are.” The past two years of living through a global pandemic posed challenges to all businesses, particularly business leaders. Ishmael says the biggest challenges have been “adapting and adjusting to the new reality that we’re facing.” He points out that none of us had ever lived through a global pandemic before and we are all trying to “navigate the world with less predictability than in the past.” But for business leaders, there is intense pressure to lead your organization.

Ishmael is the type of person who flows with advice and it is the type of advice that can help you grow if you are wise enough to listen. His advice for any business leader facing tough times is to ask themselves two questions: “How do we go through this together and how do I bestow the confidence that I’m leading to the best of my ability?” His best advice for anyone striving to be a better person is to believe in themselves and “do what you feel led to do that will allow you to be a contributor to a healthy society.”