“The Horse’s Mouth with Tom McManus” is a unique talk show offering opinions and facts that come straight from the source. No gossip, no hearsay, no agendas; just topics straight from the Horse’s Mouth! His guests include top of the line, high profile figures in sports, news, entertainment, business and leaders in the community. He will tackle the hard subjects in society over a beer and laughs. Today our host, Morgan Yonge spoke with Matthew Hirthe of Jax Power Pro, Asa Gaul of Elliott Electric Supply, Dennis Crews of Jax Power Pro, and Jason Ulm of Shoreline Custom Homes
Transcript:
Speaker 1
From studio three at buzz TV. It’s the Horse’s Mouth with Tom McManus.
Speaker 1
Welcome in to another edition of The Horse’s Mouth. We are at Tommy Mac’s bar, and we were sponsored by our wonderful friends over at Foodie’s Care nonprofit focused on feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. I’m Morgan Yonge, filling in for Tom today, and we have a wonderful panel. So introducing the panel, we’re talking a little bit about electrical.
Speaker 1
We’re talking a little bit about custom homes. And I’m excited. So introducing Matthew Murphy. Nice to meet you. Yes. And we have Asa glad he’s single.
Speaker 2
You’re there. Pleasure to.
Speaker 1
Meet you. Yes. And we have Dennis Cruz. Good to see you. Yeah.
Speaker 3
Nice to meet you.
Speaker 1
And we have Jason. Ohm. I say that right.
Speaker 4
You did.
Speaker 1
Okay. Wonderful. Thanks for joining today.
Speaker 3
Only one venture to this guy, right?
Speaker 1
There’s always.
Speaker 2
It’s okay.
Speaker 3
It’s usually it’s got a.
Speaker 2
It’s a tough one.
Speaker 1
It is. All right. So give me the rundown. Jacks. Power pole. What do you guys do?
Speaker 5
So we are, Jonesboro based local electrical contractor. We provide electrical solutions for residential construction, commercial construction and service. So service meaning, you know, any homeowner can give us a call. Want to add, let’s change a panel at EV charger or things like that.
Speaker 1
And that’s much needed these days as, everyone’s getting Teslas. So you got to have that in the garage. Oh. That’s fantastic. So what got you into the electrical field?
Speaker 5
So, best friend I went to high school with actually introduced me into the industry. And then since then, I moved in, did union work? Transferred. Came to Florida. Went from union tonight. Back to nonunion again. And then eventually started the company.
Speaker 1
Oh, wow.
Speaker 5
That was my best friend a long time ago. I was going into different areas. I was a young high school student, not knowing what I wanted to do, and he introduced me to the area and I just loved it. I love working my hands in construction, so that’s fantastic.
Speaker 1
And starting your own, hanging your shingle, if you will. That’s no joke. So what was the process like? How long did it take for you to, you know, start turning your wheels there?
Speaker 5
The process was I always understood that I could do more and I just never knew how to get there. And then there was just. I can’t even define the day, the moment, the time that I made the decision, I just made the decision, and I put everything into it and just drove forward.
Speaker 1
That’s amazing. And so how we roll forward is by gaining fantastic partnerships. So let’s talk about your partner here. You are with, Elliot Electrical Supply. I am, yes. Okay. So tell me about how you guys got to know each other and why you guys work together so well.
Speaker 2
So we actually moved in Jacksonville a little over a year and a half ago. And these guys here, we’re actually one of our very first customers here in Jacksonville. And so you know that started as a partnership. And seeing how we could help them and really turn into a friendship. And it’s it’s been great to get to see these guys grow.
Speaker 2
I mean they do a fantastic job. And honestly this this what makes our business awesome, being a deal with contractors like this and getting to see their their growth, their success and be a part of that.
Speaker 1
I love it. So Elliot who’s Elliot?
Speaker 2
So Ellie electric supply, we’re we’re a privately owned distributor, started in Texas, now grown to 205 plus locations in 13 states. And so the growth and opportunity brought me over here to Jacksonville, and, and we came to bring that same culture that down to earth. You know, our focus is our contractors and taking care of them.
Speaker 2
And, you know, if you take care of your customers and wish for success, I mean, at the end of the day, it makes your job easy and fun.
Speaker 1
Oh, yeah. And it’s all about those relationships. Absolutely. Yeah. Speaking of relationships, we have another right here. So you are also with Jax Power Pro? That’s correct. Yeah. You like working with this guy over here?
Speaker 3
Absolutely. We met each other. I don’t know, it’s like eight years ago or something. I can’t even count. I can’t even count now. It’s been so long ago. But, yeah, I’m. Man, it’s operations manager. And it’s been a ride so far. Yeah. The. I would say the best thing is that we can always see eye to eye, even when we don’t.
Speaker 3
So that has helped us get ahead probably a lot faster than we thought we would. Yeah. It’s been great. I love it. I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager. My mother, actually, I did my first panel change with my mom. My mom was an electrician, and I was in high school. I’m not a joke.
Speaker 3
Yeah. Serious? Yeah. So I’ve been twisting wires since about the same time I could start driving.
Speaker 1
That’s awesome. When was the last time you got shocked?
Speaker 3
Hasn’t been that long.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 1
It’s like a weekly occurrence. Fiance is a commercial electricity. And he every other day, like. Oh. Got shocked by 240 again. Like, please stop.
Speaker 3
Yeah. That’s, It was definitely by surprise. There’s been times out in the field where I just knew it was going to happen. I think the last time was a surprise. A week. You know what? I want to just put the tool bag back in my truck. Let the guys have it.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Oh my gosh. Well, what’s your favorite part about working with Jax Power Pro?
Speaker 3
Seeing the growth. Not only the company, but myself. So that’s been my favorite part is elevating in my personal and professional life since 2023 when I stepped in with Matt. It’s probably my number one, number one take, take away from the company.
Speaker 1
That’s fantastic. Oh, wonderful. All right. And bringing to the panel we have Jason. So, Jason, tell me about Shoreline Construction.
Speaker 4
Custom home builder here in Jacksonville. I’d say most of our works at the beaches, but, a little bit around town. I am a second generation custom home builder. And, Yeah, I think we were design build firm. You know, we specialize and I’d say unique properties that are client centric. And, you know, we we like to focus on creative details and, and working with homeowners to bring their vision to life.
Speaker 1
Yeah. And homeowners are not always easy to work with.
Speaker 4
No they’re not.
Speaker 1
Bring those ideas to life can be a great challenge.
Speaker 4
I think it’s, you know, it’s equally part of our business is not just about the construction, but about creating an experience that makes the process a success for our homeowners. And so, you know, things that, you know, we do to try to help make that process smooth for them. Is a big part of what we do.
Speaker 1
That’s fantastic. So how did you get into that world? You said you’re a second generation.
Speaker 4
I’ve been in it all my life. From sweeping job sites and working with different trades. When I was a kid, I was, I’ll say, for a while I was pretty convinced that I wasn’t going to be a home builder. But it’s kind of one of those things that gets in your blood, and it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.
Speaker 4
Yeah, I love what I do.
Speaker 1
Have you done any electrical?
Speaker 4
Oh, I’ve been shocked. Yeah. If I’m twisting wire on your job, there’s a problem. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 4
Yeah. I think, for me, I it was actually something my dad had told me. He said, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. You know, and it’s understanding what your strengths are. And, you know, building a team around you that kind of supports the mission of what it is. You know, that we do. And I think we have a great partner here.
Speaker 4
And, yeah.
Speaker 1
That was awesome. Okay, so that was my next question. How do you guys know each other? So you guys do the electrical for his construction? Oh, fantastic. Okay, cool. So bringing it all together, I want to talk a little bit about what success looks like. My TV show downstairs is Ignite Success. So let’s stick with what I know.
Speaker 1
So for you, how do you define success, Matthew?
Speaker 5
So the definition definitely changes for me. It has changed throughout the years. At an earlier age, you know, success looked different than it looks today. To me today, right now, the way I can define success is like, I can wake up every morning, and I’m proud to be a father of three beautiful daughters. I’m a, you know, a great husband.
Speaker 5
I have, you know, I have a good backbone. I take care of my family as well as the business. The most rewarding part for me is watching individuals like Dennis and other individuals at the company grow and grow into somebody that they didn’t think that they could be.
Speaker 1
So, so rewarding. And that is a beautiful definition of success. Family man through and through. We love to see it. All right. Tell me, what is your definition of success? You know, I’d.
Speaker 2
Say in this chapter with us, you know, being new to town and trying to establish ourselves, that it’s really determination and teamwork. I mean, it’s it’s challenging out there every day. But getting to work with with guys like Jack Bauer Pro and they, they’re fantastic and they make my job a lot easier. But I have to to piggyback off of what he said, you know, waking up and loving what you do, you know, every day might not be the most fun, but at the end of the day, you know, you know that everything you do is for a bigger purpose.
Speaker 2
Getting to see my people grow, getting to see them once again become something that maybe they never thought they could do. And trying to be there to just give them all the tools to be successful. And at the end of the day, just take care of our customers, you know, treat them how how we would I would want to be treated myself and and the rest will take care of itself.
Speaker 1
Beautiful. Love to hear it. All right, Dennis, kicking it over.
Speaker 3
I’m going to keep mine short and sweet. I think success is, being in the driver’s seat. Being in control when you’re steering your own life and your life isn’t steering you. That’s success. Take it wherever you want. You’re happy with that? You’re successful?
Speaker 1
Yeah. Until soon as it’s like. Jesus, take the wheel.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
There was times in my 20s where, you know, I couldn’t get rest. The head hit the pillow, and you wanted to solve the world’s problems in your bedroom. Excuse me? It just isn’t going to happen. So, you take that out of the equation, and I’d say you’re pretty successful.
Speaker 1
Absolutely. I love that answer. All right. How would you define success, my friend?
Speaker 4
I think it’s delivering on your mission. Yeah. You know, and I think as I our business, we kind of have, we’d say, like our pillars, the three things we strive for. You know, the acronym for it is Bet, but it’s really beauty experience and team. I’m a creative at heart. You know I love the artistry of what we get to do.
Speaker 4
And you know, and having partners who are open to, you know, unique products, unique execution on it. You know and how we can deliver that. That’s obviously successful. The experience is you know, what we talked about earlier. You know how we can tailor what we do to an enjoyable process. It’s often chaotic, you know, and so how we can provide some level of order to that.
Speaker 4
When we do that and the homeowners feel like they understand the process, they feel like they’re been well communicated with. I think that’s a success in that metric. And last is team. I think in general, what you say, seeing people grow under you and like, achieve things that they didn’t really set out to and the fulfillment that comes from that, that’s a major success.
Speaker 1
I love it. I’ve got a good group of guys here. Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for joining me on the panel today. And viewers, thank you for tuning in to another episode of The Horse’s Mouth. You heard it here. It’s all about growth, family, relationships, partnerships. It’s a beautiful thing. All right, if you want more information, you can find these profiles and many others on the horse’s mouth tv.com, and we will see you in the next episode of The Horse’s Mouth.
Speaker 1
Cheers.
