Jeffrey Eidson, president, G&B Energy

Why selected: When Eidson took over as president of G&B Energy in 1991, the business had one Triad location and 20 employees. G&B now has three Triad offices with 65 employees and serves more than 13,500 Triad customers. Eidson also serves as town commissioner in Elkin, and on the board of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership.

If you could have an alternate title, what would it be? Facilitator and empowerer. My primary goal is to empower employees and give them the tools and confidence to demonstrate their talents and grow in their jobs.

How long have you worked at your company? 40 years, including part-time work in summers as a teenager helping in the service and installation department.

Where were you born? Jacksonville, Florida

What is the biggest challenge you face right now as a leader in your company? Maintaining company culture and employee engagement as small family owned business as we have grown to nine locations and over 125 employees. Continuing to foster personal relationships with employees and their families to promote long-term employee commitment, allowing us to deliver thee high level of customer service our customers have come to expect.

What did you learn about your colleagues through Covid? About your community? That they are committed to delivering a high level of customer service even in the face of serious challenges. They showed up for work every day and continued to meet and exceed customer expectations while demonstrating a high degree of care for the health and safety of our customers and their fellow employees. Our community rallied around those most impacted by the pandemic starting an effort, Yadkin Valley Strong, as a partnership between the Yadkin Valley Chamber, The Yadkin Valley United Fund and Explore Elkin, to raise funds to provide food assistance to needy families. Yadkin Valley Strong raised and distributed over $100,000 during the early months of the pandemic.

How do you measure success? By the success and job satisfaction of our employees.

Share one thing about yourself that would surprise people? That I continue to maintain my CPA certification.

What are your hobbies? Golf, travel, snow skiing, fly fishing, hiking.