Jesse grew up in American Fork and spent a lot of time working with the land because his grandparents had farms. He learned the value and satisfaction of working hard and doing a job well. He also developed a dislike of tomatoes! One day, while he was working, he decided to eat a bunch of the cherry tomatoes. He ate so many he got sick and a terrible rash. “Still can’t eat a raw tomato, unless it happens to be accompanied by onions, peppers, garlic and cilantro!”
His mother was a nurse working with special needs individuals and his dad was a “jack of all trades.” “My dad did a lot of different jobs. I just remember he worked hard and there wasn’t much he couldn’t do.” Jesse learned at an early age that nothing was going to be given to him and he was going to need goals, a plan, and a lot of hard work. He earned his Eagle Scout painting house numbers on curbs so emergency vehicles could easily see them. He decided he wanted to continue his education after high school and got his B.A. in Community Health, with an emphasis in Education, at UVU. Then it was on to an MBA, with an emphasis in Health Administration. That is when the REAL work and determination came in. He was six months into a two-year MBA program when he and his wife Caley had triplets! He looks back and wonders how he survived that 1 ½ years, but he says it made him very good at time management and setting priorities. “I was managing the Provo Center for Grifols, working on my MBA and learning to be a dad for three babies. Suddenly those days working didn’t seem like such hard work! And Caley, well, to say she’s amazing is a huge understatement. She truly is superwomen!”
Jesse and Caley moved to Spanish Fork seven years ago, pregnant with triplets and committed to making a positive difference for their new hometown. Jesse credits his mentors and watching other cities develop with driving him to want to live in Spanish Fork. He and Caley knew they wanted to live someplace family oriented, and it was very important to be part of a real community, one where they could get to know people and their wants and needs. A hometown where people value traditions and are willing to work to stay a community.
Jesse is highly respected and appreciated in the business community. He got involved with the Chamber of Commerce and worked with the business community to build beneficial relationships between large and small businesses and strengthen the community as a whole. During Covid he did a lot of outreach and worked to help local businesses weather the storm. He helped the executive team lead during an uncertain and unprecedented time. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Spanish Fork/Salem Chamber. He understands a strong business community is the economic driver vital to the success of a city and helps to keep taxes low.
For the past 13 years Jesse has worked for Grifols plasma donation facilities, managing facilities in Provo, Orem, Salt Lake, and in 2018, they asked Jesse to open and be the Center Manager for the new Spanish Fork Center. He was very excited about the move and the challenge of starting from the ground up in the new center. He continually has 100+/- people that directly report to him and over 2000 doners a week. He is responsible for making all that work together successfully in a highly competitive and regulated industry. He knows how to prioritize and make tough decisions when it comes to budgeting. “Root Cause Analysis is a tool I use for work to address the real problem rather than symptoms of a problem. I believe that will be a very important tool on the City Council as well.” As part of his work, he has honed the art of bringing diverse groups of people together and getting them to work toward a common goal successfully. “As we grow, my expertise in bringing people together toward a common goal will help us successfully keep that family and community feel that is so important to all of us, and who we are as a city.”
As soon as they moved in, Jesse dove in to make a difference for his new Spanish Fork family. In addition to his work in the business community, he has been actively engaged in participating in both Planning Commission and City Council meetings, and currently serves as a Commissioner on the Planning Commission. He understands the budget well. He understands the issues the city has faced for the last seven years and in the past. “It would be easy for me to hit the ground running to make a difference for the citizens. The government is here to serve the people, to really listen to their perspective, their ideas, and their priorities. I believe my perspective adds something to the conversation, and my experience and dedication to this great city will work together to serve on the City Council in an effective and positive way.”
.