Dublin graduate JW Aikman worked in several different industries before he found something he was truly passionate about. Now, Aikman has found what he wants to do for the rest of his career: he owns his own security company in Missouri with the mission of making sure that everybody gets home safe.
Aikman graduated from Dublin High School in 1995. During high school he took on a part time job at a grocery store in DeLeon, Lawrence Brothers IGA. He stayed there for a few months after graduating high school working as a stocker and cashier.
Next, Aikman found a job at Big John’s Meat Packing in Dublin. At Big John’s, Aikman started out on the kill floor, then moved his way up to boxing meat, and then cutting meat. He enjoyed working with the livestock.
“I got to work with the cattle when they came in,” he said. “I got used to being familiar with them. And then packing all the meat was a great job. And then when I went into cutting the meat, I already knew most of the cuts that needed to be done.”
Aikman followed that interest in livestock to his next job at the Dublin Sale Barn. “That was more of an outside job, and I got to work with more cattle and getting them all into their pens,” he said.
He stayed at the sale barn for six years, then began working for his dad doing construction. “We did a lot of remodeling houses,” Aikman said.
His dad mostly did work for his friends or people he knew, and Aikman helped him out for two years before taking a job with Ricky Sorrels at M&M Service Center. At M&M, Aikman fixed flat tires and helped out around the shop.
Next he took a job at Texstar Ford in Stephenville. He stayed there for 13 years.
In 2019, Aikman moved briefly to Whitefish, Montana to attend hunting guide school, where he earned his hunting guide and wilderness first aid certifications. “Growing up, I was always hunting with my dad,” he said. “I’m very interested in it.”
After attending the program, Aikman moved to Missouri to help out his dad’s friend who owned a motel in Branson. The motel ended up shutting down, so Aikman found a new job at a security company called Nightcrawler Protection Services.
He worked there for three years, when Nightcrawler went out of business, so Aikman decided to start his own company. He did a lot of research and studying to make sure he set his business up well.
“It took me a lot to learn the backgrounds of everything,” he said, “I’m glad I did that studying — I did it from home — to learn everything that I needed to know about being an owner of a company, and to know what I had to go through to get to that goal that I wanted.”
In September of 2025, Aikman finally accomplished his goal of opening his own business, Native Pride Security LLC. “We do protection for homes, businesses [and events],” he said. “I really enjoy it, and I want to make sure everybody gets home safely — even when the police officers need help, we back them up.”
Aikman currently has five employees, including his daughter Liza and her husband Dustin. One of his recent jobs was for the sorority Alpha Chi Omega at Missouri State. “They had their formal party, and we just made sure everybody was safe in there and nobody tried to interfere or cause a ruckus — we just make sure everybody is safe.”
Aikman has really enjoyed the business so far, and hopes to keep doing it. “My future plan for the business is that I want to be able to grow and extend all over all 50 states,” he said. Aikman currently lives in Galena, Missouri. When Aikman is not working, he enjoys hunting and kayaking the James River near where he lives in Missouri. “It’s about a six hour float, and I really enjoy it,” he said.
Aikman has four children, Liza Smith, Cole Aikman, Robert Aikman and Mckenzie Aikman. His father Jerry Aikman Sr. lives in Oklahoma, and his mother Joann Aikman passed away in 2008.
Throughout his life, Aikman has taught himself to have a strong work ethic. “[My greatest source of inspiration is] to be strong and keep pushing forward, because I know that sooner or later, everything’s going to be accomplished,” he said. “I don’t ever give up on something when I get it set in my mind that I’m going to do it.” Aikman’s advice to Dublin graduates is to always keep their goals in mind. “Look at what you want to do in the future,” he said. “When you get your goals set, push forward to it, get it done and never give up.”
— Where Are They Now chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen. com.