On Tuesday, Jason Williams was at RVB Trucking, Iola, wearing layers of grease and a big smile. The rain didn’t bother him; he was happy. He was grateful for the job he was doing for Dennis Ringwald’s RVB Trucking and grateful to be living what many may call the American Dream.
Williams has a beautiful wife and two young sons and he started his own business from home. The business, SEK Garage Doors LLC, has three roots that started it all: the family business he worked in before striking out on his own, a business degree from Pittsburg State University and, strange as it may sound, a brief stint parking cars at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Williams started SEK Garage Doors a year ago, selling, installing and repairing garage doors for homes and businesses in Iola, Chanute, Humboldt, Fredonia and other towns across southeast Kansas. They are fully insured for all job types. On days when he has door work to do, he often works from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., up to his elbows in grease and wearing a 30 lb. tool belt.
“By the end of the day, I have red marks on my hips,” he said.
After work, and on days when he does not have door work to do, he can be found at home doing paperwork, making phone calls and keeping the books.
Sometimes he hires a young Amish man to help with big jobs, and his wife helps with office work, advertising and installing, but a lot of the work falls on Williams.
“It’s exhausting and wearying,” he said.
He had a pretty good idea of what to expect from starting his own business, thanks to doing the same kind of work with his family before. All in all, Williams has been working on garage doors for about 11 years in the area and has built up a reputation for himself with customers. He also learned about business from studying in college, graduating from PSU in 2000. When he moved to Los Angeles in 2001, he had two important experiences.
First, his job parking cars at the Beverly Hills Hotel gave him valuable experience with people.
“It taught me how to speak and deal with the public,” he said.
This experience would prove invaluable when he decided to start his own business and had to deal closely with customers on a daily basis.
“Communication between customers is the most important part of customer service,” Williams said. “And having a smile, even if you don’t want to” is important in dealing with people.
Most importantly, living in L.A. gave Williams the beginnings of his own family; it’s where he met his wife, Jennifer. She was doing casting for movies, working long hours and often coming home late at night and going straight to bed.
“She loved it, but you know, it just wears you out. It’s just a rat race,” Williams said.
Williams moved back to Kansas and six months later, Jennifer followed her heart and joined him. He started working at the family business before striking out on his own a year ago. Their sons are now 6 and 4, and Jennifer has cast herself in the role of full-time mom. When the youngest is old enough to go to school, she plans to devote more time to SEK Garage Doors.
Williams said if his sons wish to get into the family business when they’re older, they’re welcome to, but what’s more important to him and his wife is that their sons follow God and find something they love to do.
