These local men pour themselves out for their community. Some of them are not native to Denton County, some were born and bred here. Real estate, servicemen, tragedy, sales, retirement... not all service looks the same. But what do all of them have in common? They have followed the calling God has placed in their heart. They fail, make mistakes and fall short. But aren't we lucky to have men in our midst who strive so humbly and devotedly to serve others for a cause bigger than themselves?
Paul Venter
Each area of Paul’s life is founded in what God has called him to do, both in terms of service and business. Alongside his brother, Paul founded Seedwell Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market, consumer goods businesses in South Africa.
Seedwell Capital isn't just a successful business however, but it's personal for Paul. Though Paul, his wife, and three kids now live in Southlake, Paul is an 11th-generation South African, his family’s roots there going back to the 1600s.
Paul's passion for serving South Africa and for creating excellence in the business plan is clear even through his modest demeanor. Seedwell is a highly successful for-profit business, but its structure is unique. The majority of the investment portfolio is owned by the Seedwell Foundation, ensuring that a portion of the profits is reinvested into poverty alleviation and education projects in Africa. Paul explains, “If people are incentivized the right way and are good stewards, true impact happens.” This sustainable model creates long-term value without fostering dependency to create change.
This sustainability is rooted in a desire to be a good steward, Paul says, which in turn, is rooted in his deep desire to use what God has given him. This is what drives Paul’s passion to grow businesses that are not only excellent in what they do but are good for humanity and society. “Our faith leads us in everything that we do,” Paul says, “We don't see ourselves as owners of those resources.”
Jody Bruce
Raised beside the fire station where his grandfather was chief, Flower Mound Fire Department Captain Jody Bruce began hitching a ride on the big red wagon at the age of 15. “I fell in love with it. I lived and breathed it. I wouldn't even go to town, afraid I'd miss a call,” Jody remembers. By the age of 18, he was going on more emergency calls than the volunteers.
But through the screaming sirens, Jody found his purpose. “You really have to care for people because we see them [on] their worst day. I still enjoy helping people. It makes my day when we go out and do a save and we get them back to the family. It's very, very rewarding.”
“To be able to walk up to a mother and she hands me her baby, I walk away and she doesn't know me…” That’s what being a firefighter is about, Jody says. It’s all about helping people. Unlocking cars. Replacing smoke detector batteries. Carrying in groceries left forgotten on the doorstep when disaster struck. “There's so much [to] what we do. We do every aspect of service to the family while we're there. ”
Jody’s love for his service is deep, and his love for his brothers alongside him is rich; some of Jody’s men have been by his side for over a third of his life. Jody says, “The fire service is just one big family. So when I go home, I leave part of my family here. I always look forward to coming back to work.” And not many people can say that after the incredible 42 years of serving seven days a week that Jody has under his belt, whether as a fireman, paramedic, policeman, or member of the Honor Guard.
Jim Reid
In November of 2024, Jim Reid opened Little Joe’s in Argyle, a farm-to-table restaurant–but under the surface, it’s so much more.
In 2000, Jim’s 3 ½ year old son was diagnosed with cancer. The world of pediatric oncology and children with cancer opened wide and terrifying, with the rate of bankruptcy going up by 70% for families of children with cancer. He watched as families alongside his own struggled to keep up with the medical expenses, and thus came the inspiration for Little Matt's.
With a dream to help these families like himself, and as a real estate developer in Houston, Jim bought an old auto garage and converted it into a restaurant and charity. Little Matt’s is a restaurant that was and is dedicated to supporting children with cancer by covering such expenses as chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, radiation and housing.
“[When] my son passed away three years ago, it kind of left a hole in me,” Jim shares. And his connection with the incredible community at Little Matt’s was broken by the distance of his move to Southlake in 2020. But Jim wasn’t done dreaming. Little Matt’s was reborn as Little Joe’s, with the hope that it would serve the same need Jim had felt in Houston.
Jim’s dream in Houston is now impacting countless families right here in Argyle. “I'm absolutely blown away by the reception and the quality of people… I have been completely renewed in my faith based on what I've witnessed with the kids, families, and faith. [They] have shown me that there is a hope and future with their kids today.”
Brian White
At one time, Brian White was a sales director traveling all over the US, his local community and family far away and detached from his heart. But in 2016, after years of the Lord softening his heart, Brian transitioned to local business. And the seeds of service he has sown in his home soil have grown so well.
Brian initially began to get plugged in as a way to network for business. But his heart for engaging with the community quickly grew into a heart for selfless service. “So often we start serving and doing something because we think it will be good for other people, when really it's for our heart,” Brian shares. His heart is called to serve, even as a natural introvert, Brian shares that God sustains him in the calling, “When I’m living out my purpose, it’s joyful.”
Today, “giving, serving, and loving” to bring glory to God is at the center of everything for Brian, from his roles as co-founder of BlueFuse Realty and co-owner of Success Space Flower Mound, to teaching his faith-based entrepreneurship class at Valley Creek Church, to serving with Journey to Dream, the Cross Timbers Rotary, and the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce.
“If Jesus wasn't worried about being served, but came to serve others, and my desire is to be more like Jesus, then I should do that by making it all about somebody else and loving and serving them,” Brian explains.
Will Carlton
Will Carlton may describe himself as "mostly retired," but his fire to serve others seems to keep him busy. He has a heart to help, to care for the land, to learn about other cultures, to be a pilot, and so much more. But even in the pilot’s seat of his 1978 Super Viking, it’s the veterans and their families that have lost so much for their country and yet still want to serve, that make him feel like a slacker.
Will joined the Flower Mound Rotary Club in 2010. A few years later, he transferred to the Cross Timbers Rotary Club (CTRC). His passion to help has taken him all over the world, whether with the Rotary, his church, or as a volunteer pilot. “I love to learn about local culture and people that live differently than we do but have the same aspirations, hopes and dreams.” He goes into detail about each trip with affection and gusto, from eye exams in Haiti, medical supplies to India, HIV clinics in Kenya, solar wells in Zimbabwe, and school equipment to Guatemala.
Despite being asked multiple times to serve as president of the CTRC, Will initially declined, believing others were more suited. But with encouragement from respected friends, he finally accepted the challenge in 2024. “It really has been just the best thing. I’m so thrilled with the members and the stuff that we do in the community.”
“I'm a person with a deep faith, I feel that we're called to serve our fellow man and put others before ourselves,” Will says. This pure desire to help comes from the transformation God has done on his own heart, he works only “to be reflective of the forgiveness I've received.”
From a mission point of view, we look through a lens of how God made us and why we're on earth.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
It was an idea that came out of a pretty rough time in my life... I felt compelled to try to help others...
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45