One of the greatest gifts parents can receive is watching their children grow into excellent human beings and become great parents themselves.
What makes the gift even sweeter is when they know their children are grateful to them for their sacrifices and love.
Now, as Chris and Nancy Ross pass the baton of their business, Block-Lite, to the next generation, they can be assured their children, Christy Maycumber and Ryan Ross, are prepared to carry on.
“We want to show our appreciation for our folks who managed to keep the business alive during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression,” said Ryan.
The family business history began when his grandfather, Glenn, who was a welder, moved his family to Arizona and took over production at Yavapai Block in Prescott, where he worked for 30 years.
Chris worked there for at least 20 years.
“I think the big thing was my grandpa had been in the block industry in the early ages and was a big innovator and came up with new ideas and ways to run the business,” Ryan said. “My grandfather had the opportunity and a lot of knowledge and mom and dad had the resources to pull it off.”
In 1995, they entered a partnership.
“They [Chris and Nancy] sold everything, their house and everything they had and used it for a down payment with my grandparents. They took a huge risk and made it work for the family,” he said.
It has continued to work for a couple of decades.
In 2004, the grandparents, Glenn and Janie, retired.
“They are enjoying their retirement. They still live in Flagstaff,” he said.
Ryan said much of the family still lives nearby and his grandfather spends time rebuilding old hot rods.
Ryan and Christy took over as the third-generation owners on April 1, 2016, but neither are strangers to the Flagstaff business.
“I’ve been here since I was 15,” said Ryan, now 31. “I used to work summers part time.”
Christy, 34, also worked summers. She was a teacher before becoming a stay-at-home mom. When it came time to pass the business to the next generation, Christy agreed to get on board.
Despite the gyrations of the economy, the ups and downs, the business stayed afloat.
Plus, their parents managed to save their pennies.
“We appreciate their budgeting skills and put some away for rainy days,” said Christy. “We are super blessed. Without that, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
Ryan says since they took over, they have made a couple of changes.
“We are really taking a team approach to the business. One thing mom and dad did was they found really great people, most of whom have been here over a decade.”
He and Christy formed a leadership committee to help them make decisions and set goals.
“We are definitely a family-owned business and we look at our employees like family members,” Ryan said. “They are not numbers. We value our employees.”
And now that they are adults and parents themselves, Christy and Ryan appreciate how they were raised by their parents.
“We had a very traditional American family,” said Ryan. “We sat down for dinner. There was no television during dinner. We had time for each other and did things together.
“I think just looking back on my childhood, seeing how much our parents did for us and how much time they had for us was a huge blessing,” said Christy. “They made time for us and when you’re working full time, it is hard.
By Patty McCormac, FBN
To learn more about Block-Lite, call 928-526-1118 or visit www.block-lite.com.