Erath County has officially hired a subdivision coordinator, Jason Gardner, who is excited about the opportunity.
Gardner, who was born and raised in the central mountains of Colorado, is enjoying living in Texas and findsErathCountyespecially welcoming.
“We are excited to have Jason on the team. Many people have figured out that Erath County is the best place to live and do business, and we have seen tremendous growth over the past few years. It was time we had a dedicated person and team to manage that growth and ensure we continue to grow, but do it in a way that is safe for our citizens and not a burden on taxpayers now or in the future,” County Judge Brandon Huckabee said.
Gardner’s background includes a Bachelor’s degree of Science from the University of Northern Colorado, and he has worked in various aspects of the construction industry for the past 25 years including heavy equipment operator, landscape development, road construction and maintenance, subdivision of housing developments, underground hard rock mining and road development and production.
He served seven years as a business development coordinator for a large structural repair company developing relationships with engineers, architects, contractors, developers along with city, county and state officials, while working on large scale structures such as stadiums, dams, parking garages and housing development.
So how does a born and raised Coloradian end up in Stephenville, Texas?
He followed his daughter and his first grandbaby here along with an initial job opportunity, and he stated it feels like home simply because it is the Cowboy Capital of Texas. His daughter relocated originally for barrel racing opportunities.
Gardner admits he wasn’t fond of the idea of Texas at first since the only visit he had ever made to the state was to Houston.
Once he came to this area he immediately fell in love with the friendly nature of people and even enjoys the landscape.
Gardner attributes the job with Erath County to having faith in God since the job that initially brought him to state fell through.
He began working with Commissioner Dee Stephens in Precinct 1 on his crew for a job and when the subdivision job opened, Gardner applied because he saw the position as a perfect fit.
“God has had a plan for me all along,” he said.
Previously, Gardner has served on the board of Structural Engineers Association of Colorado, Little Britches Youth Association and is cofounder and president of God’s Living Water Ministry.
While in Colorado, he and his wife Amanda Gardner conducted a week-long ranch youth camp over the past eight years.
As far as the subdivision coordinator is concerned, Gardner said it is his job to protect the health and wellbeing of the county.
Part of that is helping to enforce the subdivision regulations and ordinance the county now has in place and to making sure upcoming developments are doing things the correct way.
“If the public sees something that isn’t right, they need to let us know,” he said. “We want the projects done right.”
Gardner said he really enjoys the people he is working with in the county.
Along with his wife, Gardner enjoys spending time with their four kids, Trevor, Raelynn, Matthew and Victoria, and his adorable granddaughter.