In 2007, after many years in executive roles for a global elevator company, I felt like I had hit a plateau in the organization. When the company went through a reorganization and I landed in a role that I did not feel allowed me room to grow, I knew it was time to go. I was ready for a new challenge.

My wife Tracy and I founded Genesis Elevator in the basement of our home that year—with our three sons, Joshua, Jared, and Mason, our two dogs, and our niece all under the same roof at the time. Starting a business right before the Great Recession meant that we had to fight hard and run lean from the beginning. But, from the start, we had a powerful Purpose driving our work.