A background in high school and college athletics is something everyone on the leadership team at Halfacre Construction has in common. Participation in sports has long been regarded as a way to set individuals up for success, so it comes as no surprise that Jack Cox, Tom Rees, Greg Witt and Reed Giasson all share a love for athletics.
While attending Bowling Green University in Ohio pursuing a degree in construction, Jack was an avid lacrosse player. These days, the sport is still a prominent part of his life and has even transpired into a family affair. His son John is currently a junior at Riverview High school and plays defense for the boys’ varsity team. Jack also couldn’t stray too far from getting in on the action — outside of his normal day-to-day life at Halfacre, he also coaches lacrosse at Riverview High School.
During his time at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Reed was a two-sport athlete, partaking in swimming and diving, as well as track and field. While engaging in sports at a young age, Reed learned the importance of setting goals, working as a team, dealing with failure, perseverance and trusting the process. In his professional and personal life, he credits much of his success to these fundamental tools.
Tom attended Niagara University in New York on an athletic scholarship to play collegiate tennis and even today, he proudly engages in a competitive game from time to time. He was also fortunate enough to instill a love of sports into his own kids and has served as a coach for them for tennis, soccer, basketball and flag football.
Experiencing a life that was heavily involved in sports, Tom learned early on how competition not only comes into play when you’re out on the tennis court, but also later in your career.
“Being in a team environment in college athletics taught me a lot about how great it feels when you can win as a team,” said Tom. “There is nothing better than when a team or work group has committed themselves to accomplishing a goal and then achieving that goal together.”
Respect is another trait that athletics introduced to Tom that plays a role in his current occupation.
“Your athletic ability will diminish over time, but if you live your life treating people with respect and compassion, you will always be remembered for that.”
And of course, there’s always a football player in the group! Greg spent his collegiate career at Presbyterian College playing football and was even recognized as fourth in the nation in total offense during a game where his team ranked in the NCAA Division ll statistics.
He prides himself on learning early on in his career the importance of pushing yourself to do hard tasks.
“There is something about doing something very difficult, hard, tiring, not comfortable, stressful at times, miserable at times, etc. that gives you a different sense of pride upon completion,” said Greg. “Playing football at that level helped me understand that it is good to commit to something difficult, push through it and in the end, you will be proud and glad you did.”
Undoubtedly, sports are a great way to learn about life and leadership for future success. We’re proud our team can serve as a great example of that!