Jimmy Gravley never set out to be the Keystone Handyman–in many ways, he has always existed.
“My faith leads me to help people who can’t protect or help themselves,” he says. When call after call came for his assistance with small house projects, Jimmy knew that despite his demanding responsibilities as the owner of a general contracting and remodeling company, he couldn’t turn them down.
Recognizing a great need in the community, Jimmy mobilized his resources and hired an office manager and a handyman who could help him offer small-scale services at an affordable price. “That’s how [Keystone Handyman] was born,” he says. Nearly 20 years later this year, Keystone Handyman is still growing and benefitting the Chattanooga area.
“Anything from hanging a shower curtain to replacing your air filters, to changing the hardware in your kitchen–it runs the whole gamut,” adds Jimmy, whose fulfillment comes from helping those in need no matter the service. “My heart for community is what drives me to try and serve as much as I can.”
If he’s not lugging a toolbox, Jimmy is passionately serving as the senior pastor of The Oasis Revival Center in Birchwood, fostering with his wife, Rachel and their three children, and coaching youth sports. “I was a football coach at Lake Forest Middle School for eight years,” he shares, adding that he also coaches baseball and enjoys seizing the opportunity to inspire the younger generation–some of whom may come from broken or split and blended families, often feeling like an outsider in their own homes.
“When we step out on that field, we’re all fighting for one another, and these are our brothers,” Jimmy says. “Being able to impact their lives in that way and let them know that they’ve got a family that’s much bigger than the people inside of the doors of their house... that’s my driver. I love community. I love people.”
He also loves supporting local businesses and checking out everything the Chattanooga area has to offer, including one of his and Rachel’s personal favorites: the diverse culinary scene.
“My wife and I are foodies,” he quips. “There’s so many great places in Chattanooga to go eat–from Calliope to Alleia and St. John’s,” the options, Jimmy says, are endless. The views are a bonus. “Just the beautiful views from the heights of the mountains–it’s just wonderful.”
Faith, family, and service. It’s the handyman’s motto he credits for a fulfilled life.