Check Out Jeremiah Flores’s Story

Hi Jeremiah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Yes of course! My name is Jeremiah Flores. I am twenty-three years old and I’m currently working towards my MBA in Strategic Management at the University of North Texas at Dallas. I plan to finish my program in July of 2022. I obtained my Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in Spring of 2020. It was definitely an experience unlike any other. I remember stressing over exams, graduation and hand sanitizer. During my early years in college, I worked as a door-to-door salesman putting in every hour I could after school. It was then that I found Sigma Lambda Beta, a historically Latino-based fraternity. The strangers that I met in this organization soon became my friends and then eventually my brothers. It was then that I added community service into my everyday life. My brothers and I would volunteer on campus, with the city, and coaching little league soccer. Our little league team actually won first place in my first year of coaching, go Winnetka Elementary Wildcats! During my junior year of college, I was promoted from door-to-door salesman to office assistant and then to executive administrator. My world was structured around classes, working, studying, and community service. It wasn’t long until my hard work was noticed by my colleagues. A year after my promotion at work, I was elected President of my fraternity, the Mu Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Lambda Beta at UNTD. The experience I gained from running the fraternity taught me the importance of meeting deadlines, working hard, and overall encouraging individual growth. It wasn’t enough that I succeeded in my own endeavors. I wanted to see my colleagues grow and become their best versions of themselves. I ended my last semester with a 4.0 GPA and decided I wanted to continue my education into the master’s program. In order to continue my schooling and work during the pandemic I moved in with my girlfriend and her family. We had lived in lockdown together for about a year and eventually, it was time to get a place of our own. I began saving for this exact moment at the age of sixteen when working minimum wage and tips at a local Subway. My work ethic paid off and at the age of twenty-one, I was able to purchase a home in Waxahachie, Texas. And then an exact year later, I proposed to my best friend and girlfriend Madison Hefner. The goals that even I thought were out of my reach, especially for my age, were obstacles that I overcame because of my family and friends. My new goal is to grow and diversify the company and to leave behind a larger legacy that inspires others to do what they believe is impossible for them to achieve.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?

I believe in the saying “if it were easy, then anyone would do it”. There is no Goliath that you cannot overcome as long as you keep pushing forward. I lived with my grandparents for most of my life. Growing up I suffered from a lot of confidence and anxiety issues. I always felt either not good enough, not smart enough, or that I wasn’t doing enough. It was my sophomore year of college when my grandfather was diagnosed with acute leukemia, kidney failure, liver failure, and heart failure. It felt like my world had stopped. My grandfather was my father figure. He raised me and encouraged me to be who I am today. During his time in the hospital, I handled my schooling and work responsibilities while being there with him every day. There was a moment where we believed we would take him home from the hospital. I remember my last words to him were “we’re going home dad” and the next morning, he had passed. I like to think that in a way, he actually did go home. I live everyday in hopes that he is proud of what I’ve achieved and his spirit still encourages me to always do the best that I can. I carry his legacy by encouraging everyone that I’ve mentored to do the same, to be the best version of themselves. It was difficult trying to juggle all of the responsibilities at once. There were times where I had so much going on I would forget to eat or not notice how late it would get. I would be so exhausted that I’d sleep on campus in between classes. Becoming President added even more rigor to my schedule, but it was worth seeing the impact on our campus and in our members. I believe that my past sacrifices are what paved the way for a better tomorrow.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Executive Administrator for CM3 Construction Group. We are a general contracting company with over 30 years of experience. We are a locally owned family company in the DFW area. My average workday consists of overseeing the day-to-day managerial operations, assisting in strategic business management decisions, monitoring spending, budgets, auditing financial performance, compiling financial reports, forecasting finances, risk analysis, auditing performance, ensuring corporate policies and procedures are met, and leading as the head of the account receivable and accounts payable departments. It took much hard work and dedication to reach where I am today. I am known for working alongside Cody Miller CEO and President of CM3 Construction Group. I am most proud of seeing the growth the company has endured while working as the Executive Administrator. In the span of four years that I have worked here, I have seen the business evolve from a million-dollar company into a multimillion-dollar company. With the help of our team, my goal is to expand the company into other industries and continue to grow and diversify. What sets us apart from other general contracting companies is our dedication and honesty. We take pride in the legacy we have created in the construction industry and aim to improve every day for our customers, ourselves, and our community.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Reflecting back on where I’ve started, seeing the progress that I’ve made, and seeing the progress my loved ones make makes me the happiest. Meeting different people and seeing them overcome their struggles to create something more for themselves is a beautiful concept to me. Everyone has fought to overcome something in their lives, whether that is self-doubt, trauma, fear, and everything in-between. I believe that spending time with loved ones and taking the time to destress makes everyday life happier. I remember my grandfather always working and coming home just to rest and then going back the next day. This made every moment we spent together as a family that much more meaningful. In addition to this, taking the time to acknowledge the obstacles I’ve overcome is another thing that makes me happy. I was able to obtain my bachelor’s degree and purchase a home by twenty-one. Obtain my master’s degree by twenty-three and create the house I purchased into a home for my new family, just like my grandfather.