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Jerry is from Oklahoma, and lived in Oklahoma City until he was 12. His grandparents lived in Norman and his father attended the University of Oklahoma. So, he naturally became a big Sooner fan. His sister still lives in OKC, but Jerry moved with my folks in eighth grade to Spring Branch. He went to High School at Spring Woods.

Jerry graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with degrees in Chemistry and Biology. He loves the outdoors and started out in Forestry, but the Sciences really appealed to me. After college he moved to Addison, TX. His graduation coincided with a recession and oil patch bust in 1982, so he faced some layoffs and a tough market.

Jerry held a variety of jobs in his early years. He worked retail, tested down hole equipment in the oil patch, worked for a veterinarian, worked in an automotive shop and he was an exterminator. He learned a lot about people during those years and have always tried to appreciate whatever job he had.

He moved to southern California in 1983 and lived in Fullerton and Ontario for 5 years or so, working in the lubricants and chemicals Industry. He started out on the night shift working in a lab.

Jerry moved back to Houston in 1988 and settled in the Clear Lake Area. It was familiar and close to where his job was in Deer Park. Looking back, it’s crazy how much Houston has changed and grown.

Jerry worked for Ashland Inc. and fulfilled various roles in Quality, Supply Chain and Operations management. He ended up in Plant Manager roles and handled facilities in Houston and Dallas. His division, Valvoline, split off from Ashland later in his career. His little plant ended up growing into the 2nd largest Lube plant in the country and the largest export facility globally for Valvoline.

Houston is a great city for producing and shipping goods all over the world!

After 36 years of service, Jerry had an opportunity to step away from that life and explore the outside world, so to speak.

Jerry always enjoy working with people and watching them grow and develop. He wanted everyone who worked for him to be successful. Don’t good people make life so much easier? So after looking at some options he decided to get his Certification as a Life Coach in 2021 and his is now Master Certified. This was such a natural fit and he loves mentoring and coaching and just studying and observing human behavior in general.

On why he joined the Chamber a couple of years ago….   While Social Media is great, he has always recognized the importance of personal interactions and relationships.   People do business with people they know and trust. Jerry visited several Chambers around the Houston area and the Heights Chamber was the most welcoming and the most active. He felt a connection straight away.

A bit more on my personal journey, he married along the way and has 3 great kids and now he has an adorable granddaughter!  She lives in Portland, TX.  His other two kids are here in Houston. He lost his parents and grandparents all in a span of 4 years when he was in his 20s. So, he is excited now to be a grandparent.

At this stage in his life, he is single, has a townhouse in Clear Lake and is in an ongoing process of simplifying and downsizing his life. He wants experiences, not things. He had a dream for years of going on an African Safari and pursue dangerous game. In 2019 he was thankfully able to check that box with a life changing adventure in Mozambique. Off the grid and way out of his comfort zone. His next big adventure will hopefully be in the Amazon.

He is a gym rat and a bit of a health nut, hence his partnership with Green Compass Global CBD.  He is a big believer in a natural, holistic approach to health and wellness.

Jerry’s passions also include military history and a love for our natural world. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, exploring mysterious dirt roads and building military and Sci-Fi models.

He enjoys reading and of course he reads about Coaching and behavior and why people do what they do. He loves to read about WWII history, Historical Fiction, and books about adventure and exploration.

Jerry has been a member of the National WWII Museum in NOLA since they opened as the “D-Day Museum”.

He has been involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and M.D. Anderson for over a decade.

Jerry also works with the Amazon Rainforest Conservancy.

His vision is to live a simple and rewarding life. Travel, make friends, enjoy his family, engage with people who have different experiences and backgrounds, and to be of service to his community.   And to always keep moving.