The Chamber Corner

June 5, 2008
Our June First Friday marks a return to our entrepreneurial showcase series. Sponsored by PeoplesSouth Bank, our featured speaker will be Garry Gochenaur, founder and owner of Marianna Truss and Marianna Metal. The title of his presentation is "From the Ground up - Building a Great Business from Scratch"
In 1985, Garry Gochenaur took an entrepreneurial leap of faith. With the encouragement and support of friends and family, Garry founded and launched Marianna Truss. Over the course of the next twenty-three years he lived lean when he had to, invested heavily when he needed to, worked hard, hired great people, and grew a successful enterprise.
With a strong foundation of satisfied customers and an exceptional knowledge of the local market, Garry Gochenaur took another entrepreneurial leap of faith in 2007 with the launch of Marianna Metal Roofing. Located in a brand new manufacturing building right next to Marianna Truss, Garry is taking advantage of the growing demand for quality metal roofing and investing in the future of our local market. From front-line workers to highly skilled engineers and managers, Garry’s ventures have created great jobs for the people of Jackson County.
Along his entrepreneurial journey, Garry has learned many lessons, overcome many hurdles, and survived many challenges. Through it all, his strong faith and optimistic spirit, coupled with his keen engineering mind and savvy business instincts, have kept him going when others may have packed it in.
During his presentation, Garry will take us on a journey back to the beginnings of Marianna Truss and return us to the present with lessons on leadership, entrepreneurship, and perseverance that will help us all improve and grow.
Garry Gochenaur was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, became an Eagle Scout as a youth, graduated from Montana State University in 1983 with a Construction Engineering Technology Degree, and moved to Florida in 1983. From 1983 to 1985 he worked for Blountstown Supply Company before launching Marianna Truss. Garry and his wife Debra have four children ranging in age from fifteen to twenty-one.
If you want to be inspired and learn "how a successful entrepreneur became successful", then mark your calendar for Friday June 6th. Sponsored by PeoplesSouth Bank, this showcase program will give you real world tips on how to grow a sustainable, successful business.