Against All Odds: A Father's Remarkable Journey to Make His Daughter's Wedding

In this episode of The Jon Gordon Podcast, I’m joined by David Jones who shares an incredible story of resilience and love. When Hurricane Helene hit, David was determined to make it to his daughter’s wedding, despite facing impassable roads and challenging conditions.

David’s journey took all night and involved a 17-mile walk on a narrow, unlit road, using only his cell phone light and a makeshift reflector for safety. His story of overcoming obstacles with vision, goal setting, and perseverance is both inspirational and moving.

Join us as we discuss the themes of positivity, persistence, and the powerful role of strong father figures. You’ll be inspired by David’s dedication and his commitment to both his family and his principles in business.

About David,

David is an instructor, consultant, and executive coach with Excellence Advisory. He has over 35 years of experience in the manufacturing, education, and health care sectors. He is passionate about helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential, particularly through the use of the Baldrige Criteria.

Concurrent with his teaching and consulting, David was an engineer and manager with Texas Instruments, Siemens, EPIC Technologies, and Mountain States Health Alliance. His areas of expertise span Management, Leadership, Performance Excellence, Strategic Planning, Manufacturing, Marketing and Sales, ISO 9000, and ISO 13485.

In 2007 he co-founded Edamar, Inc., an award-winning educational products company serving the K-12 science classroom with innovative hands-on teaching tools.

David has over 25 years of hands-on experience with the Baldrige Framework at the state and national levels as an applicant, examiner, examiner training facilitator, judge, and consultant.

He has consulted with numerous state quality award winning organizations and two Malcolm Baldrige Award winning organizations.

He has served on multiple local, national, and international boards. He has also been an adjunct instructor in the College of Business and Technology at East Tennessee State University and in the MBA program at Milligan College. He is currently an instructor for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) where he earned certifications as a Certified Quality Engineer (1985-2011) and Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (1995-2011).

David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering (Engineering Management) from the University of Tennessee.

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