Clay Hair
Bachelor of Science in Business/Management, 2005
Who could have predicted that a borrowed push lawn mower would be the start of a multi-million dollar business? At age 19, University of Phoenix alumni Clay Hair wanted to earn extra money, so he started his lawn care business with a borrowed mower. At that time he was attending University of North Alabama on a football scholarship.
As his business grew, he put his education on hold. After selling his business in Florida and relocating to Tennessee, Clay started FLC, Inc., a landscaping company specializing in custom landscape design. Although he was successful, he knew that an education would help him progress to a higher level. He enrolled in University of Phoenix.
Clay credits his Bachelor of Science in Business/Management as the key to his run-away success. His business, he says, “just blew up” once he graduated. “As I progressed through school … I realized that the skills I learned were really making a difference. I was closing jobs left and right.” Today, FLC, Inc. has gross revenues of $5 million.
Clay explains, “We went from being, I would say, a good company to probably middle Tennessee’s top company. We employ a lot of local folks and I just think we’re doing things differently than most [of our competitors]. I think it’s got a lot to do with my education.”
