Joe Mehl

Parenting has made me less selfish. When it was just my wife and my dogs, we were able to do pretty much whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Now, we have to think about what’s best for our daughter. It’s definitely opened my eyes to be more aware of others’ feelings and to try to be the best person I can be. A lot of the things I do are actually for my daughter and for my family. I do things because of the legacy I’m leaving for my daughter. I want her to be able to look back and say, “I am proud of my father.”

I’m not a person who takes things too seriously. I’m a human who makes mistakes all the time. It’s very easy to portray yourself as a perfect person. I try not to. I’m the type of guy that will be grocery shopping with my wife doing all the adult things, but I’m also going to add the super soaker in the cart because we are going to have a squirt gun war later.

I’m heavily involved with the Chamber of Commerce as an ambassador. I also sit on the Horizon Education Alliance school roundtables; I go all over the county and sit in front of teachers and admins. I’m trying to create a network of young professionals. I want the Young Professionals to be an additional resource to students, as well as to the Chamber.

I’d like the Young Professionals group to be a resource for all students, but particularly for students who aren’t necessarily on the path to college. Sometimes you need an alternative path, and that’s okay. We’re going to offer things like job shadowing and, hopefully, some of the businesses will allow internships. We’re also going to have events where we teach things like etiquette –– how to maintain eye contact and how to shake hands, all those soft skills that you might not think are important but they are.