Day 8 of Gratitude - Joe Leksich
31 Days of Gratitude - In an attempt to publicly express my gratitude for the people that have impacted me in some way in 2015, I'm setting out to write one post a day sharing what I appreciate about them or what moment that marked me. Some of these people I know well, some I've only met, and some I'm just getting to know. There is no ranking to these posts and they aren't meant to put anyone on a pedestal. They, like you and I, are imperfect people with their own flaws, some you may have experienced. Despite those flaws, I believe we all need to have our positive characteristics called into light and celebrated. This is that attempt.
I first met Joe when Michelle and I were first looking for home. We didn't have a realtor, but knew exactly what neighborhood we wanted to live in. As we drove around this neighborhood week after week, we finally saw a house we wanted to learn more about. It just happened to be owned by and for sale by Joe Leksich. We toured his house and even though we never purchased that house, we really liked Joe and his love for the neighborhood we were looking in as well as his love for old homes.
We bought our current house from Joe 6 years ago and Joe and I have remained in touch ever since. At the beginning of 2015, Joe asked me if I would start taking pictures of homes he's selling or in the process of renovating for clients. It's been one of the funnest challenges and opportunities I've had this year. I enjoy the opportunity to document newer houses that are coming up for sale, but I LOVE being able to document some of the renovation projects he's taken on this year. Getting to take before, during, and after photos of old homes or homes that are a disaster is a creative process for me. I like story and I imagine what the stories that have been lived in these places as well as the story that is happening as it gets renovated as well as the future stories. It's incredible to know houses have been around for 100+ years in our community and many show no signs of being on the edge of collapse.
I'm grateful that Joe has invited me into these photo projects and given me the opportunity to do something I enjoy as well as make a little extra family or bike money. Even more than that, I've been grateful to get to see more about just the man Joe is. He is one of the hardest working guys I've seen in 2015 while remaining extremely humble about his success. He's transparent about his past struggles in business as a testimony that hard work, character, and the desire to make things right are terribly important. He's the type of business owner and leader that is the first on the job site, last to leave, and not above doing any of the projects required to transform a property. I admire his work ethic, attention to detail, and his determination to be fair to those he hires as well as his expectation of them to be fair to him.
I know this hard work and dedication comes at a cost to Joe. Sleep, time with family and friends, but I see him strive to incorporate his family into his work every chance he gets. I regularly see his kids tagging along on projects as well as his family helping present and sell homes. Thank you for caring as much about being successful in terms of selling homes or managing renovation budgets as you do about restoring old homes for the sake of neighborhoods and new homes where life will be lived for years to come.
Loving others and being generous is part of Joe's DNA. Thank you for your friendship and for a being a great guy, Joe. I wish you all the success and the happiest of family.
