Every job Elton Galbreath has ever had, he’s found through someone he knows. He enjoys the community he’s found through his work, and encourages Dublin graduates to focus on relationships, both personal and professional.
Galbreath graduated from Dublin High School in 2017. “When I graduated, I really didn’t have a plan; I kind of just went with the flow,” he said.
A couple of months after graduating, Galbreath met his now wife Alexis. Her father owned a construction company in Stephenville, RD Construction, and Galbreath began working there. “We were going to Oklahoma and doing a lot of roofing and stuff like that, fixing sides of nursing homes that were damaged from hail,” he said.
He worked there for two years before meeting the general manager of Mattressville in Stephenville, Ira Goodman, and getting a job there as a salesperson. “That’s where I’ve been the past four years, selling mattresses,” he said. “It’s been good because I’ve gotten a community and a lot of people know who I am because of Mattressville.”
He enjoyed meeting people through the job, and the work itself. “You wait for somebody to come in and sell them a mattress, it’s that easy,” he said. “It can be kind of boring, but it’s a rewarding job. You get a good feeling once you help people get better sleep.”
Galbreath has a career change on the horizon. Since high school, he’s stayed close with one of his friends, Chase Timmons, whose family owns Timmons Exterminating. Timmons encouraged Galbreath to apply to be an exterminator, and he got the job and will start later this month.
The move means Galbreath will get to spend more time with his wife, who works in Dublin as an athletic trainer. “We both can work around Dublin now and we’ll be able to see each other more often, which is nice for us,” he said. “With my current schedule, we weren’t seeing each other as much. We only had Sundays, but now we’ll have the entire weekend with each other.”
Galbreath’s new job will consist of traveling on a set route and spraying properties for pests according to schedule. “I plan on working there a while,” he said.
Galbreath’s wife’s job as a trainer is a little more unpredictable than Galbreath’s, so he keeps his future plans flexible to accommodate where she’ll be. “My plan is to stay with Timmons as long as I can, and then support my wife and watch her accomplish her goals,” he said.
Galbreath met his wife Alexis through a mutual friend in 2017 and they married in 2022. “We don’t have kids, but we do have three fur babies,” he said.
Galbreath’s mother Kristi Kennedy and her husband still live in Dublin, and Kennedy works at the De Leon nursing home.
When Galbreath is not working, he enjoys playing softball with a rec league in Stephenville, and playing golf with a few of his friends from high school. “It keeps us active, and it’s fun,” he said.
Throughout his life, Galbreath’s greatest source of inspiration has been his wife, Alexis. “She’s probably the hardest worker I know,” he said. “She pushes me to be better.”
Galbreath is proud of the work he’s put into himself and his life since graduating high school “My greatest challenge, I would say, is just becoming a better person,” he said. “I wasn’t the best kid in high school, so it took a lot of growing up, and I think I’ve grown up pretty well. I think I’m a better person now.”
His advice to Dublin graduates is to spend time building relationships. “Make connections when you get out of high school,” Galbreath said. “Your biggest asset is your network, and I think that’s pretty important. So get to know people, get connections, and that’ll help you a lot in the future.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.