–by Sylvania AdVantage Staff
PUBLICATION DATE: Oct 01, 2020
After 30 years doing business in the area, local entrepreneur Ken Rusk of Rusk Industries Inc. has published his first book, “Blue Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future and Find Happiness for Life,” published by HarperCollins.
Ken Rusk points out the realities of goal setting in his Everdry headquarters.
“I had been thinking about writing this book for the past five years and actually put pencil to paper three years ago,” he recalled. “I have watched the pendulum swing away from blue-collar jobs, putting an emphasis on college/university as the path to financial success. This book helps people to think about work in a different way. Who will do the actual work that needs to get done? I also feel that kids are not being told they have choices and that one can be successful doing what they love even if it is considered a ‘blue-collar’ job.”
Rusk knows all of this first hand. He started working when he was 15, actually digging ditches for Everdry, the company whose northwest regions with offices in Sylvania and Findlay he now owns. “I went to college … for three months. I realized that was not for me and I ended up working my way up in the Everdry organization where I started doing manual labor and ended up in the office” Rusk stated.
“Blue Collar Cash” also documents the journeys of several successful entrepreneurs, describing the challenges and how they were met and overcome.
“Living a life of anticipation is the only way to live,” Rusk offered.
In addition, Rusk emphasizes the importance of encouraging employees to be entrepreneurial and to think for themselves. He also stresses goal setting. “We need to envision what we want for our lives. Then we need to figure out action steps with timelines to make those dreams come true,” he explained.
Rusk encourages each of his new hires to spend two weeks considering what they want their life to look like and actually draw their dream on a poster board. “Then we develop the action steps we need to make that dream become a reality,” he said. “I want those who work here to go for their dreams. My goal is to help my employees to develop fully because the better each of them does, the better our company does.” Those tenets are outlined in the book as well.
“Living a life of anticipation is the only way to live,” Rusk offered. This concept is echoed throughout his book. ‘“Blue Collar Cash” emphasizes that loving your work helps to secure your future and finding happiness for life. Rusk has found this to be true.
He also believes in giving back to his community and has made the decision to donate all proceeds from the sale of his book to Make a Wish.