William Renfrow is an engineer, entrepreneur, and visionary, but most importantly a Christ follower.  

In 1993 William felt called to open a “full service” industrial construction company which he would name Renfrow Brothers Inc.  William’s desire was to open and operate a company where employees could work hard, be successful, and if they chose, live out their faith.  Over the past 23 years, Renfrow Brothers Inc. has established itself as a company which provides General, Mechanical, Electrical, Fabrication, and Machining services to the industrial marketplace while employing a core group of employees averaging 150 men and women.

The year 2007 brought the opportunity for William to partner with two other individuals and open OpSource Staffing Inc. and ESS – Equipment Sales & Surplus.  The addition of these two companies helped form a group of companies called Renfrow Industrial and created a synergy of business solutions to round out the definition of “full service.”

William graduated from Clemson University in 1980 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology.  He and his wife, Lisa, have five children.  William is a member and currently in a position of leadership at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg.  He is also a board member for FCA – Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Spartanburg, United Carpenters for Christ, Faith-Hope-Love Ministries, and the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [4 min 22 sec] Tell us about your career journey. Grew up poor with 10 siblings. Godly mom. Had a lost, alcoholic father who was abusive to William’s mother. Father got saved when Williams was 15, and everything changed for the better. Graduated from Clemson with an engineering degree. Worked at Milliken as an engineer. Got discontented with corporate world, then took a job with a construction company from Gaffney in 1983. Worked there 10 years, then started Renfrow Brothers Construction in 1993 with three guys.
• [7 min 31 sec] Worst career failure? Construction company employer was a Christian, but did not support William trying to start a Bible study at work. Told William to stop. William realized then that he needed his own company so that he could serve Christ as he saw fit. Lesson: It’s not the failures that matter but what you do with them.
• [10 min 46 sec] How did God fine tune your focus? Realized that he was trying too hard to do too many things that others said worked for their firms. William realized that his firm has its own dynamic. Focused on doing things that directly impact individual families: birthday cards for employees’ children, organizing prayer chains for surgeries or deaths in the family for employees.
• [13 min 59 sec] Biggest career success? Creating a Christ-centered company that impacts people’s lives and that is also very successful from a business standpoint.  Lesson: You must perform excellently in your career in order to have it be a platform from which to share Christ. Excellence generates respect for you and for what you have to say about Christ.

SECOND SEGMENT

• [21 min 18 sec] How are you using your career to impact others for Christ? You have to understand that you are a priest (missionary) in the workplace, and you have to care for the souls of others as a spiritual leader as a church leader would. Accept responsibility for the souls God brings into your path.
• [25 min 08 sec] Career advice to high school seniors? Work hard. Build relationships. Treat people right. Be the best you can be at your job. You can’t be afraid to fail.
• [27 min 34 sec] How can people connect with you? williamr@renfrowbros.com | 864-303-5987

BONUS SEGMENT

• [30 min 27 sec] Ever been confused about which career direction to go? When William went to college, he had no idea what major to pursue. God directed his steps towards mechanical engineering and then into career choices after college. Lesson: The Lord will direct our steps, but we have to take steps of faith for Him to direct. Can’t sit on the sidelines awaiting a revelation from God.
• [33 min 33 sec] Ever been faced with a challenge to your faith in the workplace? The challenge is to be obedient each day and protect the integrity of the company. If lose integrity, diminishes our witness for Christ.
• [37 min 51 sec] Personal habit that contributes to your success? Building relationships.
• [39 min 21 sec] Your number one business habit for success? Work hard. Never give out, never give up, and never give in.
• [41 min 12 sec] Productivity tool? Zoom.us video conferencing.
• [43 min 07 sec] What three business tips can you offer to aspiring business owners? 1) Become a priest. 2) Sell out for Christ. 3) Love people and use things. Don’t love things and use people.

Resources Mentioned:

• Zoom.us
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Killer Resources:

• Get a FREE audio book at Audible.com.
• Daily devotions from Robbie Romeiser at TodaysQuoteFromGod.com.

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Robbie Romeiser is a commercial real estate broker, real estate instructor, and author of the daily devotional Today’s Quote From God (www.TodaysQuoteFromGod.com). Desiring to help his own children follow God’s calling in their lives, Robbie founded Career Callings (www.CareerCallings.net) to help people find, prepare for, and pursue the work God has called them to do. To have Robbie speak at your church, business, professional association, or civic club, please email Robbie at robbie@careercallings.net.