Corner office? Better. View? Probably best in Northern Virginia. Commute? Thirty minutes with smooth waters. Business casual? Shorts or jeans accepted and preferred. Disgruntled employees? None. The company’s newest hire and only staff, Hunter, is a 6 month old Chow/Pit Bull mix, and he hasn’t found anything to complain about yet. As a matter of fact, he seems pretty content with his job description since it primarily consists of sleeping and eating.
Every working man’s envy, Steve Johnson, along with partners Jamie Hamilton and Jay Hutton, are the owners of Triple Crown Marine, LLC (www.triplecrowndocks.com), and they spend their days building docks for those lucky enough to own homes on the water. And wow—on the day I met Steve at his job site, he was building a dock for a couple who own a dainty little 28,000 sq ft home (or would that be considered a compound?) off the George Washington Parkway. Nice, huh? Steve and his partners have found quite a niche, and are happy to fill the growing need. “We knew there was a backlog of work,” says Steve. “We knew we could do a better job than the other companies out there, so we just jumped in. We made a commitment early on to return calls within a day; most companies weren’t even returning calls because they were so backed up with work.”
In 2004, Steve and his partners bought their first piece of heavy equipment—a pile driver—and haven’t looked back. I met Steve back in 2007 through a mutual friend, and we immediately clicked—probably because we have quite a bit in common. Like me, he’s a native true and true (I think that brings our total count up to 9). He’s lived his entire life in Alexandria, attending both private and public schools. As a native of the area, he grew up on the water—he’s a real boat guy. Believe it or not, it was an aunt who got him hooked on boating.
I like to think I’m a cool aunt, but I think this woman has me beat. He’s not afraid of a little hard work—worked two jobs for the first 3 years Triple Crown was in business. And he’s just a super nice guy—the guy who stops to help fix a broken down car on the side of the road. Actually when we were leaving our interview, he stopped to assist a broken down tour bus that happened to have his car blocked in the parking lot. A lot of people I know would have been really irritated by the situation, but easy-going Steve went to work on a solution. You will see Steve get fired up, however, when the conversation turns to big oil companies and alternative fuels. Steve is a wealth of information on the subject—he clearly knows his stuff. “Hopefully one of these days we’ll be able to conquer the oil companies and find a better solution,” says Steve.
Steve’s career started as an auto mechanic. Dad owned filling stations, and so actually, Steve’s career really began at the age of 12 when he started pumping gas at one of Dad’s stations. Yes—for those of you too young to remember—there was a time way, way back when attendants actually pumped gas for you. And—Steve recalled that gas was 79 cents a gallon at the time. Those were the days. We even reminisced about the gas shortage when you either bought gas on odd or even days. Steve quickly went from pumping gas to tinkering with cars, and along with Dad and brother Dwayne, purchased his own service station along the way. It didn’t enable him to earn a decent income so he sold it, and focused on doing what he loved—working on cars. Up until 2007, Steve could be found with his head under the hood of customers’ cars at Hollin Hall Automotive when he wasn’t out building docks.
Growing up, Steve split his time between Alexandria and his family’s Christmas tree farm in Roanoke where they raised cattle, goats, and other farm animals, as well as trees. The experience of working on the farm taught Steve some valuable life lessons. “When you invest in something, care for it and nurture it, you can literally watch your investment grow,” says Steve. “My dad has been my greatest role model—he is totally self-made, and he worked hard to achieve his success.” Growing up as the son of a self-employed, self-made man, clearly had a positive impact on Steve. He hasn’t shied away from the risks involved in charting his own territory, and isn’t afraid to spend money for the right equipment to get the job done right. “I’m a mechanic at heart,” says Steve. “I look at it as an excuse to buy toys…errr, I mean tools.”
When the work day ends, you can probably find the tall, handsome boat guy surrounded by friends sipping on a Guinness at the Old Dominion Boat Club, O’Connell’s or other local haunts. When the temps drop, he’ll probably head down to the Bahamas for a much deserved break. If business goes the way he wants, hopefully he’ll be racing his 58’ cigarette sport cruiser between islands.
Of course, every job has its challenges, and certainly Steve’s is no exception. If you think obtaining permits to work on your house is challenging, think about permitting to build in the water. Regardless, Steve is clearly passionate about what he does and it shows. What a wonderful thing to love your job. When I asked Steve what his favorite thing about his job is, he is quick to answer. “The commute,” laughs Steve. “I ride to work in a boat—no traffic, great view and the wind in my hair. Some days we break out the water skis on the way home.” Every working man’s envy? Undoubtedly, but let’s add women to the list as well. “Steve—where do I submit my application?” Move over, Hunter.
Lori Welch is the owner of JCL Services, Ltd., a personal concierge and professional organizing company serving clients in DC/MD/VA since 2001. www.jclservicesltd.com
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