Bill Polacek is a modern-day example of the American dream come true.
By his own admission, he was raised in a family that wasn’t rich in economic terms.
But what his parents did provide he and his eight siblings was a wealth of intangible assets, impressing upon them the values of family, religion and hard work.
Polacek parlayed those values into building one of the strongest companies in the region, JWF Industries.
But even building that business – which now employs more than 700 people – was no simple task.
It started with 18-hour days and working from a small office situated in a bedroom of the trailer he and his wife, Shari, once called home. Even as the company grew, Polacek found himself going weeks without taking a pay check and the business faced closure on three occasions.
“What people don’t know is the bad things – the challenges associated with building the business,” Polacek said while visiting his alma mater, Conemaugh Valley High School, for a presentation as part of the Upstarts and Innovators series.
“All most people see is the success of the end result. A lot of people don’t realize the struggles you go through in owning your own business.”
While Polacek receives much of the credit for the success of JWF, he said he couldn’t have done it without the influence of two important women in his life – his wife and his mother.
He said he got his sense of determination from his mother, Sarah, who resides in Windber.
Polacek said that through the most difficult of times she always kept fighting.
She even decided, at the age of 42 and with her family beset by financial issues, to go to college and earn a degree in nursing.
“When I think things are getting tough, I always look back at what my mom did and what she accomplished,” Polacek said.
“She always taught us to keep looking ahead, to have goals and keep working toward them no matter what happens.”
To his wife, Polacek credits his sense of balance in life and his refined decision-making abilities.
He said early in their marriage, they came to an understanding that when they had children he would back off from working long days and be involved with his family. He said that not only kept him grounded in family life with their four children, but it forced him to trust the abilities and talents of his employees in helping his business to grow.
“My wife is my inspiration,” Polacek said.
“When I come home and bounce ideas off her, it’s amazing how intuitive she is about what the real problem is.
“She has helped me to keep my values focused. Without her, I would have never been successful.”
What he’s learned through his tumultuous but ultimately successful adventure, he now shares with others. For instance, he spoke to the students at Conemaugh Valley about the importance of being true to themselves, finding what they love to do and doing it better than anyone else.
As for any other entrepreneurs looking for his advice, he uses the example of another famous, albeit fictional, Pennsylvania success story: “Rocky.”
“If you’re going to go into business for yourself, you have to have that ‘Rocky’ mentality,” Polacek said.
“You’re going to get knocked down, now matter how well you’ve planned. The key is you’ve got to keep getting back up and keep fighting if you want to be successful.”
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Businessman credits strong family values
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