Women who run their own construction companies are a rarity in the industry. In Jenny Blalock’s case, ironically, it was her father, Jim, who first inspired her to start her own residential contracting business.

“We were driving down the road one day, talking about how some women would be married for years and divorce later in life, only to be left with nothing and no career to fall back on,” Blalock recalls. “My dad looked over and said, ‘Jenny, never rely on someone to support you. You need to always be able to take care of yourself.’”

As a contractor, she has done just that. But she learned a lot more from her father than self-reliance. Jim, who owned his own plumbing supply company for 30 years, introduced Jenny to the world of construction when she started working in sales for his business. She developed a fondness for home construction over commercial and was soon inspired by other residential contractors to get into the business herself, founding Luxe Homes, Inc. at age 21.

Since then, Jim Blalock has closed his plumbing supply business and gone to work for his daughter, helping her grow Luxe Homes by serving in a variety of capacities—from taking clients through the home construction process, to making repairs, to just being a set of listening ears during stressful times.

“He is someone I can rely on to be there when I need him most, and that is the most important thing,” Jenny says. “My dad has patience of steel. I don’t know where he gets that laid-back attitude that he has. Being in this business will test your patience, but he has taught me to have patience.”

She also credits her father’s faith in God and his 46-year marriage to her mother as being strong influences on her, both personally and professionally.

“There are very few people who haven’t been touched by the economic and housing crisis,” she adds. “But there are people who give up and quit and bury their heads in the sand, and there are people like my father, who, at age 65, still works hard, no matter what the job may be. Success lies in the heart, and the reward is being happy with what you do.”