By Ben Cox
Photos/Submitted to The Source
A brand new business in Jacksonville has already been called up to the major leagues. J&K Power Washing in Winchester was started a little less than a year ago by Joe Nix out of his garage with the help of family and friends.
Since then, the business has added a truck and a major contract to their service territory. J&K Power Washing serves businesses and private homes with commercial exterior pressure washing in Winchester, Jacksonville, Springfield and Jerseyville as well as all the little towns in between.
Nix says that when Ballpark Village officials in St. Louis had an opening for pressure washing their sidewalks and businesses, he fell into the contract by happenstance. “Getting the job at Ballpark Village was just impeccable timing,” Nix says, “I just made a phone call down there and they got back to me and they had recently been looking for someone who does that type of work. I had a meeting with them. Sitting at such a big table and being introduced to a platform like that in your first year of business is something you kind of only dream about.”
He says after an initial meeting, they didn’t hear back from officials with Ballpark Village for several months until he got a text message out of the blue in late August.
“The whole trip was a bit of a rollercoaster,” Nix says, “Our truck broke down about 48 hours before we were scheduled to leave to go down and do the work. We weren’t sure if we were going to make it down, but it was all hands on deck. We hit an auto parts store about 10 minutes before closing time on [August 22] to get the part and get it going.”
Nix says that he owes major thanks to Dylan Clifford, Collin Slagle, Sam Nix and Johnathan Garde to help make the trip happen. The team made it to Ballpark Village after the 3rd annual St. Louis Street Food Festival to clean the sidewalks and streets ahead of a St. Louis Cardinals homestand that started the following Monday.
Nix says the team pleased all of the Ballpark Village businesses they interacted with and were given a stamp of approval for their work.
“We knocked it out of the park, building another business relationship on integrity and honesty,” Nix says, “It was a surreal experience and one for the books. That’s what running a small business is all about. It’s a community where all those who helped me are small business owners or local farmers. It’s not about just making a job like that happen, it’s the community around you pitching in a hand to just help you succeed. I didn’t even have to ask them [to help]. The trip in itself was a great testimony to having faith and seeing it all come together.”
Nix knows a thing or two about teamwork and faith. The active National Guardsmen is coming up on his 11th anniversary in service to the United States.
