Jake Green has one of the best icebreakers ever. His family line traces back to Abraham Lincoln.
But that’s old, old news – four score and a number of years ago. Truth be told, his four kids are what he loves to talk about these days. Unfortunately, on this particular morning, one of those kiddos is feeling under the weather, so Green calls in to Border States’ office in Phoenix, AZ, and arranges with his supervisor to stay home for the day.
“The family support at Border States is way different than any job I’ve been at,” says Green, Product Manager. “People understand that you have responsibilities. The company has always been very flexible when it comes to letting me take care of my children.”
In October, Green celebrated his eighth anniversary at Border States, a 100 percent employee-owned, American company. It was a meaningful milestone, considering where he was before finding us.
After the housing market crash of 2008, economic conditions resulted in Green losing his job in the residential construction field. Holding a high school diploma, he wasn’t quite sure where to turn. Someone told him about Border States and our amazing employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), as well as our excellent benefits. Not long after, Green was working as a Border States Warehouse Associate.
“Before joining Border States, I was just a number in a corporation,” Green says. “Today, I’m a valued part of the company.”
From Warehouse Associate, Green quickly moved to the Will Call counter, working directly with customers and their deliveries. From there, he advanced to an inside sales role for more than six years before stepping into his current role a year ago.
“I started from the ground up in a new industry,” Green says. “My experience working my way up at Border States has helped me understand our customers’ needs. Before this career, I had to move to different companies if I wanted to advance. At Border States, you have all the advancement tools you need right at your fingertips.”
Working with customers is Green’s favorite part of the job. He describes his work as fun and full of opportunity.
“Our employee-owners go the extra mile when it comes to serving our customers, partly because their future is directly reflected by the quality of their work today,” he says. “Our people take pride in what they do.”
Green is grateful to work for a $2 billion company that continues to grow.
“This is a great opportunity to have worked up to without having a college degree,” Green says. “I’m very fortunate to have found Border States.”
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