PULLING TOGETHER AFTER FAMILY TRAGEDY


At the time of their father’s death, Rod Sr. and Reggie owned the business. Yet, the beloved mentor’s absence made it dif- ficult to cope with normal day-to-day activities and naturally left a void in both the family and the business.


“We were already running the business, but we always had dad to lean back on. If you had a question you could go to him and ask. When he passed away, we didn’t have a mentor to go back to,” recalls Rod Sr.


The brothers remember this as being a critical time that brought the family together as a team to make sure the business did not suffer.


“Mama was doing all the paperwork and so we went to her and told her, ‘Look, we need you and you need something to do. We want you to take a third of the business.’ So, we gave that back to her,” explains Rod Sr. When Augusta eventually retired, her daughter Sandra took over running the front office.


Rod Sr. and Reggie also knew they would need someone to spearhead their specialty division in place of their father. They enlisted Ken’s help to run the fireproofing side of the company, noting their dad always wanted him in the busi- ness. “I’ve never regretted the 48 years I’ve been here,” says Ken, who previously worked as a computer technician and U.S. military national guardsman.


This would not be the only time family members were re- cruited to join the team. Third-generation Nashes—Rod Jr., Leslie West and Sean—later came on board to maintain and grow the company. Sean, now the Vice President of W.W. Nash & Sons, recalls when his uncle Reggie petitioned him to work with the family. “Reggie asked if I would be willing to take a huge pay cut, work longer hours and work with family every day for the rest of my life,” he says. “That was a lot to consider.”


A portrait of Woodrow Wilson Nash, the Nash family’s patriarch and Founder of W.W. Nash & Sons Inc.


Ultimately, it was the family legacy that propelled Sean to join. “I think Reggie’s words were, ‘If you don’t come in here and do this, we’re just going to shut it down and sell it.’ That was a pretty good motivator,” says Sean, who didn’t want to see the family business shut down.


PAST LESSONS AND FAMILY FOCUS


Key aspects of maintaining a strong business are diversifica- tion and keeping up with industry changes and demands. In 1972, the fireproofing division became a separate company, W.W. Nash Construction. The namesake honors Woodrow’s memory and is indicative of the family’s forward-thinking nature. The construction moniker leaves the door open for future ventures in the construction industry.


One example of quickly and seamlessly adapting to industry changes occurred in 1973 when W.W. Nash Construction had to adjust its business model because the fireproofing industry was impacted by the Environmental


“As the boss’ son, you have to work harder.


Everybody’s looking at you and gauging you. If you slow down on the job, others will slow down, too.” - Ken Nash, President, W.W. Nash Construction Co. Inc.


POWERED BY THE BLUE BOOK NETWORK - VIRGINIA / FALL 2016


31


ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF W.W. NASH COMPANIES


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