From Homeless to Home Run – Meet Woodie Valentine

FROM HOMELESS TO HOME RUN: Meet Woodie Valentine, Carport Central’s Building Specialist of the Month!

For some people, a tiny bit of help – an opportunity – is all they need to be able to shine. Two years ago, Woodie Valentine found himself in a pretty tough spot. A serious illness resulted in him losing his job, which then started a chain of events that ended with Valentine finding himself living in a homeless shelter in Texas.

Valentine admits that he was in a dark place at that point, and he really wasn’t sure what to do next. It was then that he reconnected with the owners of Carport Central, a business headquartered in Mount Airy, NC. Co-owner Albert Lara knew of Valentine from previous business-related encounters, and when Valentine explained what had happened to him, Lara’s response was immediate.

“Woodie, you have such a good heart – the kind of heart I need in my company,” he told Valentine.

Lara helped Valentine move from Texas to North Carolina, and then helped him get set up with a fresh start and a job at Carport Central. That was two years ago. Valentine was grateful, and has responded by showing Lara just how hard he’s willing to work.

Fast-forward two years, and now all of Woodie’s hard work is really starting to pay off! Valentine was recently named Carport Central’s Building Specialist of the Month for April 2019, and while a number of factors go into that award, at the top of the list was Valentine’s eye-popping sales figures of over $250,000 for the month.

“Throughout these two years I have had the pleasure of working side by side with Woodie,” Lara explained. “His personality can light up a dark room. Even on his bad days, he attempts to make sure everyone surrounding him is motivated and inspired to do great things. Something he says all the time is ‘No matter what happens, I’m glad to be alive.’”

At the recent weekly Carport Central team gathering where the monthly award was presented, Lara commended Valentine for working so hard and “reaching for the stars” every day. Woodie had this to say in response: “Our entire Carport Central staff is a family, and that’s what sets us apart. The owners care about the lives of each and every one of us. I’ve never seen more generous and caring people. Each day they put faith in us and see things in us that some of us didn’t even know we had.”

Lara concluded by saying: “Woodie has done nothing but grow over the past two years, and we are very proud to present this award to him. Simon Sinek says it best: ‘People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.’”

Way to go, Woodie Valentine! We’re certainly proud of you, and we’re very glad to have you as part of the Carport Central family!

A WINDOW INSIDE THE HEART OF THE CARPORT CENTRAL FAMILY

At Carport Central, what we DO is provide our customers across the country with the very best in steel carports, garages, RV covers, barns, utility buildings, workshops, farm buildings, and commercial facilities. At the end of the day, though, what we’re really all ABOUT is helping people. One thing we learned a long time ago is that the best way to take care of our customers is to start by taking care of the people with whom we get the privilege of working side-by-side every day.

Perhaps you remember the series of Olive Garden commercials from the early 2000s that ended with this famous tagline: “When you’re here, you’re family.” That slogan is really a perfect way to describe the culture of Carport Central, too. Our building specialists and support staff are indeed employees, but they’re more than just employees to us. When you come to work for Carport Central, you really become part of one big, extended family.

In this blog we wanted to peel back the curtain and give you a window of insight into the heart and soul of the Carport Central family. Although we’re primarily an online-based business, at the end of the day we’re just a business made up of real people working to help real people find the best steel shelter solutions. Today we wanted to introduce you to just one of our family members and put his picture up on our fridge for you to admire. We’re proud of Woodie, and we’re proud of ALL the members of the Carport Central family!

If you’d like to learn more about how we can provide you with a perfect, made-to-order steel structure solution, check out our site at Carport Central or give us a call at (980) 321-9898. We serve nearly the entire continental United States, and we’d be honored to serve you, too!