Nearly a year after starting work at Steve Ward & Associates, James Sanders has built more than a track record of steady employment. He has earned the trust and respect of the people he works alongside.
During a recent visit with James, his General Manager had plenty to say about the 4:13 Strong graduate before James ever joined the conversation.
He described James as a self-starter who doesn’t need someone constantly telling him what to do. He gets along well with his coworkers, consistently produces quality work and has become someone the company can depend on. His GM sees leadership potential in him, too, believing that as James continues to grow and gain experience, he’ll have opportunities to manage other employees.
James’s own assessment of the past year is much simpler.
“I don’t want to go nowhere,” James said. “I’m definitely staying here for a while.”
James graduated from 4:13 Strong in 2025 and is now approaching his first anniversary at Steve Ward & Associates. He works in the company’s solid surface operation, helping fabricate countertops that eventually leave the shop for installation at projects around the country.
The operation has grown since James arrived.
“When I first got here, this wasn’t like this,” he said, looking around the shop. “We built this.”
James has watched the operation expand while learning his role and becoming an important part of the team. One recent project involved approximately 80 countertops. Another batch was being prepared for a project at TCAT. Other finished products have traveled much farther, including a recent shipment headed to Florida.
For James, there is satisfaction in being part of producing something tangible.
But after almost a year, he has found something else that matters: a workplace where he wants to stay, and an employer that wants to invest in him.
“A lot of people have been trying to get me to come to their job,” he said.
He’s not interested.
James appreciates the way he’s treated, the available hours, overtime opportunities and even the little gestures that show employees they’re valued. On one particularly hot day, the company brought employees ice cream and watermelon.
“It’s a good job,” James said.
Recently, he’s been taking advantage of overtime, coming in an hour early some days and staying a couple of hours late.
His general manager’s assessment suggests James has become more than simply an employee filling a position. He’s demonstrating initiative. He’s earning trust. He’s producing quality work. And his employer can already envision a day when James may be responsible for leading others.
That’s significant because the goal of 4:13 Strong has never been simply to help a man get a job.
The goal is for him to build a life.
Perhaps the best evidence of James’s growth isn’t simply that he’s approaching a year with the same employer. It’s how he’s handling everything else that comes with life.
“I was having my little problems out there, my family and stuff,” James said. “But it could be worse.”
There will always be problems, he acknowledged.
“That’s life.”
It’s a simple statement, but an important one.
A year after leaving the structure of the 4:13 Strong campus, James is working, saving money, helping his mother and dealing with the same frustrations everyone encounters.
Recently, that included his truck going into the repair shop. He paid to have it fixed, only to discover it was still having the same problem afterward.
“That’s just life,” James said again.
The important thing?
“I can make it to work any day. That’s all I need.”
James currently lives with his mother, who has encouraged him to use this season to save money rather than take on unnecessary expenses. In return, he helps around the house.
He had considered returning to 4:13 Strong to live in Room 7 and even thought about serving as a house manager. But right now, being home makes sense.
His mother wants him to save.
And James is listening.
He’s also beginning to think beyond his current role. He has developed an interest in learning about stocks and investing and sees it as another area where he can continue developing his knowledge while doing work he enjoys.
“I like this,” he said of his job.
James hasn’t forgotten where the journey that led him here began, either.
He plans to attend an upcoming 4:13 Strong graduation and hopes to return for one of the organization’s future Mental Toughness Week trial days. He has also recently started working out again and talked about returning to the Thursday morning workouts on campus.
The connection remains.
And that may be one of the most encouraging parts of James’s story.
Graduation from 4:13 Strong isn’t supposed to be the moment when everything suddenly becomes easy. Cars still break down. Families still face challenges. Work can still be tiring. Money still has to be managed. Decisions still have to be made.
The difference is learning how to keep moving forward when those things happen.
Nearly one year into his job at Steve Ward & Associates, James is doing exactly that.
He’s showing up.
He’s working overtime.
He’s learning.
He’s saving.
He’s helping his family.
He’s earning the respect of his employer.
And he’s becoming the kind of man his boss can envision leading others.
There isn’t one dramatic moment that defines James’s life today.
Instead, there are hundreds of ordinary decisions being made consistently.
And one year later, they’re adding up to something worth celebrating.
August 21, 2026.