To a young Jason Shinholster success meant finding ways to put money in his pocket. This was a simple definition, but it was also a mistaken definition that cost him everything - his livelihood, his values, and eventually his freedom.
Jason took a 25-year detour on a road that led from being a talented high school athlete with college scholarship opportunities to owning White Ox Construction Company based in Santa Rosa Beach. This proved to be a difficult road that left him battling addiction and the legal system. However, it also resulted in Jason’s running a very different kind of construction company. Thankfully, “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those that are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
Jason’s calling is to offer young men who are heading down the same road that he took an opportunity to learn a trade and to live a prosperous life. In addition to the ministry side of the business, White Ox also employs skilled tradesmen to help train workers and to facilitate remodeling demands from clients.
When a White Ox Construction Company crew walks through the door, they are backed by an employer who works for them. Jason’s self-centered pursuit of success caused him time and time again to burn out, so he keeps his focus on what he can do for others. He gives the respect that he didn’t observe or experience in other workplaces. Of those jobs, he says, “I knew that I was the little man.” His employers did all they could to make sure that he knew that. He, instead, makes sure his employees know that each of them is essential.
“I can’t remember a check I’ve cashed, or an award, or a publication. No matter what it was, I can’t. I can’t stack that up to seeing someone’s life change.”
Jason grew up on construction sites. At the age of 19, he worked for his uncle’s construction company C & D Construction based out of Cocoa, Fl. At C & D, Jason learned the ins and outs of everything building. In his free time, Jason started building custom motorcycles. These creations were featured in national publications and were honored for their notable attention to detail.
“Building custom motorcycles taught me that everything has to be perfect, and this has helped me to take this same approach to my customer’s homes”
White Ox Construction Company is a one-stop shop for all interior and exterior home improvements and needs. They thrive on complete remodels because they can dig into one job and don’t have to bounce around from site to site as they must do with smaller jobs.
“Our quality fingerprint will be on every part of that place.”
They have handled commercial build-outs, complex additions, balcony enclosures and extensive interior modifications. The most popular requests are kitchen and bathroom remodels. These valuable updates are the heart of remodeling and maintain the value and relevance of a home or rental property.
White Ox also does a great deal of painting in the area. Painting was the humble beginning to building the business that exists today. Some of our readers may recognize the name White Ox as a rust stain remover for homes. This is not a coincidence. The name White Ox Construction Company pays homage to Jason’s childhood friend Ben Cohn whose family makes the White Ox rust remover product. Ben played a critical role in allowing Jason to move to the area where he now has so much success.
Jason had been on a downward spiral with addiction and was struggling to get by when his childhood friend reached out to him and suggested that he move to Santa Rosa Beach to help with the sale of the White Ox Rust Remover. Ben had known Jason since their elementary school days and believed that the Emerald Coast would favor his talents and abilities.
Ben was candid with Jason about the state of his life and the fact that he was spiritually sick. He invited Jason to join him in selling the White Ox Rust Remover store by store. Over time, the product had outgrown its start as an occasional product carried by individual stores. It became and remains today a standard product carried by ACE Hardware stores. During this time, Jason cleaned up and started to help others who were experiencing the same life challenges. White Ox used their own product to clean the homes that they were pressure washing to prepare them for painting. This was the beginning of the White Ox Construction Company which has grown into a full-scale construction company.
Today, in addition to running White Ox, Jason serves as a Pastor at Impulse Church in Santa Rosa Beach. Pastor Jason and his wife Jenna run a meeting called Lifeline Recovery on Wednesday nights where he says, “Real life happens in circles, not rows”, referring to the rows of pews one might sit in on Sunday mornings.
Jenna owns and operates JS Salon & Heart and volunteers her services cutting hair for the homeless at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church in Destin. Jenna also serves the youth at Impulse Church. Jason and Jenna’s vision is to continue to grow their ministry. They are working to create transitional housing in the Walton County area. In the meantime, they are steadfastly increasing each of their businesses and boldly shining light in dark places.
“Our quality fingerprint will be on every part of that place.”