Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Cobb County. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Milli M. helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Cobb County, Georgia.
Is your business serving the residents of Cobb County? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpCobbCounty.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
E41: From Skateboard Ramps to Dream Homes: A Contractor's Story from Chris Glass
What happens when a musician turns contractor? Chris Glass of JWAC Construction reveals his fascinating 25-year journey from building skateboard ramps as a kid to becoming Atlanta's go-to expert for kitchen and bathroom transformations.
The construction veteran pulls back the curtain on one of the biggest myths in home improvement: the idea that "you can do it and Home Depot can help." While Chris champions homeowner knowledge, he makes a compelling case for professional guidance on larger projects. His expertise prevents costly mistakes and design choices that might haunt you when it's time to sell—like those purple cabinets with a black ceiling you thought were a good idea!
Beyond technical skills, Chris offers refreshing candor about his own struggles with the "fear of success" and the irony that his own home doesn't showcase his professional capabilities (the classic "shoemaker's children have no shoes" dilemma). This vulnerability, paired with his commitment to improvement—"hopefully today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today"—reveals why clients trust him with their most intimate living spaces.
The interview captures what makes small business owners like Chris the backbone of local communities. His story reminds us that exceptional craftsmanship begins with exceptional character, operating by the golden rule while finding joy in creating pristine spaces before they're "used and loved." For homeowners planning to stay put for at least five years and wanting to maximize both enjoyment and investment, Chris's wisdom proves invaluable.
Ready to transform your kitchen or bathroom with a contractor who truly cares? Visit JWACinc.com to discover how Chris and his team can help bring your renovation dreams to life with expertise that big box stores simply can't match.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie.
Speaker 2:M. Hello everybody, Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, Millie M. Are you in need of a kitchen or bath remodel? Well, I have just the person for you. I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Chris Glass of JWAC Construction LLC. How you doing, Chris?
Speaker 3:I'm doing well, Millie. Thank you for having us.
Speaker 2:So glad to have you here. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us more about JWAC Construction.
Speaker 3:We are a residential building contractor in. Atlanta and concentrate on kitchen and bathroom remodels, refreshes and just making a home beautiful.
Speaker 2:Perfect. So how did you get into this business? What got you started?
Speaker 3:Honestly building skateboard ramps and whatnot as a kid and road construction with my grandfather at 13, and then went into music and, uh, the company I was working for kind of went defunct and got tired of being on the road and my girlfriend uh, girlfriend at the time, wife now she was working at a bar dude needed help putting in windows and doors and 25 years later I'm still swinging a hammer.
Speaker 2:And you're still with the woman.
Speaker 3:I am, I am, I am. Beautiful story, that's the good thing that came out of it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. She had a honeydew for you right up front.
Speaker 3:And it continues, and it continues.
Speaker 2:I bet, I bet.
Speaker 3:So what are some of the myths or misconceptions about what you do? Honestly, I think the biggest myth probably is that you can do it and Home Depot can help. I think you can do it.
Speaker 3:I don't know if Home Depot is going to help. It really is kind of a struggle for a contractor, no matter what size, because we're always competing against brand new guys we're always competing against. Now the internet is moving the homeowner into a hamstringer, which is great. I think everybody should be able to know something about their house and how to do something.
Speaker 2:But when it comes to larger projects, I think you need somebody on your side to walk with you, help you design, help you pick out stuff, make sure you don't get, you know, purple cabinets and a black ceiling, and yeah, yeah strange things that if and when you go to sell the house, the the realtor walks in and goes no, no, we, we've got to fix this exactly, exactly, and you don't have all those years of experience for nothing, and that is definitely valuable to keep from having to spend more money fixing a mistake that a homeowner makes. So who are your target customers and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3:Our target customer give or take is 30 to 65, homeowner going to be in the home for, let's say, at least five more years. We think that within a five-year period you're getting at least some ROI on the money that you're going to spend because kitchens and baths are expensive. Kitchens and baths are expensive and the way we attract them really is word of mouth and the Internet. As far as trying to get our rankings up, podcasts like this, just meeting people trying to be as friendly and nice and serviceable as we are, as we can be, you know, somebody asking questions. We always want to try to find the answer for them if we can.
Speaker 2:Got to keep your ear to the ground. Whenever someone's talking about kitchens or bathrooms, you're right there. So tell me, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Like hanging out with the family. I like skating with my son and my nephew, listen to tunes and relaxing.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:I try to stay. You know being out and about You're always driving, so when you're not working, the last thing you want to do is really is want to leave you kind of just want to sit and be still. I heard that when you're not working, the last thing you want to do is really is want to leave you kind of just want to sit and be still.
Speaker 2:Or that when you're not working, you don't want to work.
Speaker 3:Exactly which is which is bad. You know, you know the, the shoemakers kids don't have any shoes, kind of thing. So my house my house does not look like the houses that I work on. For sure it needs some work and I just don't put the time into it.
Speaker 2:I get that and someone needs to, you know, take care of you on that front. I get it, I get it. So let's just switch gears for a second. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge you overcame and how it made you stronger?
Speaker 3:I think my biggest hardship, my biggest challenge, which I'm in the process of overcoming I don't know if it ever will overcome, but the fear of success, if that makes sense. So it well, not only success, but failure. So you, I have found out that I try to stay in the middle, and in the middle it just keeps repeating, it doesn't get better or worse, but to try to make the business better as well as myself better. I'm trying to face those fears and move through them.
Speaker 2:It's very self-aware of you, and so now that you know that you can make the necessary changes for sure.
Speaker 3:Which is the very strangest thing about it is you start to realize what you're doing, the self-sabotage and calling it out.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You experienced a little bit of mine at the top of the show, so I get it. So, chris, please tell our listeners one thing you would like for them to remember about JWAC.
Speaker 3:One thing about us is we're always trying to do the best that we can. Hopefully, today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today. We care about our clients and we care about the product that we're leaving behind. Our clients and we care about the product that we're leaving behind. And yeah, I mean we really just try to operate on what my grandfather said. You know the golden rule do unto others as you have them to do unto you. So that's kind of where we're at.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Tell me one more thing, the best part, your favorite part, about what you do.
Speaker 3:The people, the people and and the finished product. I really love looking at a brand new bathroom and a brand new kitchen before it, before it gets used and loved. It's kind of like. It's kind of like if you're if you're a car person, you know walking onto the lot and seeing that brand new car it always looks better in the showroom when it's, when it's pristine and clean and everything's brand new. And then you got to love it and unfortunately, loving it. You know messes it up a bit, but that's what love is.
Speaker 2:Love is messy. Your clients are so appreciative and I know that's just such a sense of pride and accomplishment for you. So how can our listeners learn more about you at JWAC?
Speaker 3:They can visit us at JWACinccom. Look us up on Google or you know we're out there on Facebook, you know. Give us a call, reach out. We'd love'd love to have a chat and see if we can't help them.
Speaker 2:Perfect. Thank you so much, Chris. I really enjoy getting to know you. I appreciate you being on the show. Best of luck to you and your business moving forward.
Speaker 3:All right, thanks, millie.
Speaker 1:This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, millie M. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpcobbcountycom. That's gnpcobbcountycom, or call 470-470-4506.