Celebrating National Entrepreneurship Month

The Leap: What It Really Means to Bet on Yourself

Opportunity always sounds exciting when discussed in the abstract. Up close, however, taking the leap into ownership looks a lot like risk, financial vulnerability, and long hours. Becoming a Local Company President is not a passive title change; it is an active, continuous decision to take personal accountability for a business, navigate economic storms, and bet on your own ability to deliver results.

For Todd Toureen, President of Englewood Winsupply (Colorado), taking the leap 50 years ago meant risking everything he owned. Starting as a truck driver, Toureen caught the attention of his President, who sold him on the “Win Way.” At the time, stepping into leadership required putting up his family home as collateral for a bank line of credit and draining his personal savings to purchase initial stock. Through tough economic cycles and years without profit sharing, Toureen persevered, building a company that still stands strong half a century later. A cherished early memory remains a visit from a Winsupply founder Dick Schiewetz, who spent an hour sitting in Toureen’s Englewood store offering wisdom that shaped his entire career.

Taking the leap also means stepping directly into unexpected crises. When Christopher Jarrell, President of Winsupply of Jessup (Maryland), assumed leadership in January 2020, he inherited a location that had struggled for nearly 15 years and carried significant debt. Just two months into his presidency, the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed global supply chains. Forced to adapt immediately, Jarrell overhauled the company’s focus toward government and educational contracts while cultivating a culture centered on solving complex customer problems.

Jarrell quickly realized that being a President required far more than sales talent; it demanded strategic agility and remaining calm under pressure.

For many leaders, the financial hurdle requires extreme personal discipline. Charles Livengood, President of State Line Winsupply (Maryland), took out a significant personal loan to buy his initial shares without a safety net. Driven by the weight of supporting his wife and child, Livengood applied daily operational grit to pay off the entire loan early.

For Chase Barnes, President of Little Rock Winair (Arkansas), the personal leap preceded the professional one. Before joining Winsupply, Barnes fought and won a grueling battle against addiction and homelessness. Rebuilding his life required transforming his mindset, habits, and environment. After 17 years in plumbing, he was recruited as part of a succession plan for Little Rock Winair. Embracing the challenge, Barnes channeled his personal resilience into business growth, building a thriving company grounded in trust and team development.

Transitioning into an unfamiliar industry represents another form of taking the leap. Amanda Searcy, President of Winsupply of Gilbert (Arizona), left a predictable career and invested her family’s life savings to launch an HVAC business in Phoenix. She then had to navigate the extraordinary supply-chain challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Searcy’s path to ownership began with a familiar face: Allen White, President of West Phoenix Winsupply (Arizona), had been her salesman when she worked for an HVAC contractor. After countless conversations with White about Winsupply, she began connecting with other Local Company Presidents and Area Leader Jim Kennaugh. Eventually, she met Greg Ray, President of Phoenix Winsupply, who gave her the opportunity to become a Local Company President.

One of the biggest lessons Searcy learned was that leadership does not mean having every answer. It means knowing who can help you find the answer.

For Todd Hutzler, President of Winsupply of El Paso TX Co. (Texas), the opportunity came after he joined Winsupply in operations. When the President role became available, he saw his chance to help turn around the Local Company.

He also discovered that the freedom of ownership comes with significant responsibility.

“You make the decisions of your company fully,” Hutzler says. “That is a very big responsibility.”

Hutzler is especially proud of transforming a struggling Local Company into a profitable one, with the help of his team.

Taking the leap isn’t the absence of fear. It is the conviction that the freedom, pride, and legacy of owning your own business are worth facing that fear head-on.

Amanda Searcy, President of Winsupply of Gilbert (center), celebrates her graduation from the Winsupply Management Development Training Program (MDTP) with Allen White, President of West Phoenix Winsupply (left), and Greg Ray, President of Phoenix Winsupply (right).

Visit winsupply.com/entrepreneur to learn more about becoming a Winsupply Local Company President.

Other articles in this series:

Week 1 - National Entrepreneurship Month - The Entrepreneurial Spark

—

About Winsupply:

Founded in 1956, Winsupply is a family of companies that includes more than 680 wholesalers across the United States; service companies for business support and sourcing; and Winsupply Inc. In business to build entrepreneurs, Winsupply Inc. holds a majority equity stake in these independent, locally owned and operated wholesalers, known as Winsupply Local Companies.

Winsupply Inc.'s annual sales totaled $8.4 billion for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026. The Winsupply Family of Companies employs more than 9,500 people nationwide.

Collectively, Winsupply Local Companies are among America's leading distributors of construction materials, equipment, supplies, and solutions for residential, commercial, industrial, municipal and MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) applications.

Winsupply Local Companies serve contractors and installers across America in plumbing and heating; hydronics; pipes, valves and fittings; HVAC and refrigeration; electrical; fastening hardware; waterworks and utility; pumps; turf irrigation and landscape; and pipe, metal, specialty and fire system fabrication. Local Companies also sell direct to commercial and industrial facilities organizations.

The local owners of Winsupply Local Companies earn their own success through The Spirit of Opportunity®: the chance to risk your own money, gain equity, and run your own wholesaling company to pursue the American Dream, with help from Winsupply.

Visit winsupply.com for our e-Commerce site; visit company.winsupply.com for company information. Follow Winsupply on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.