Seed Planted on Good Ground
When we arrived at 14620 Bellamy Brothers Boulevard in Dade City, we were greeted with a sign; “Jewels Halo,” I said aloud. I like that. It sounds so heavenly and peaceful. Despite the several freezes this winter, the rows and rows of trees still struck me as quite beautiful. There is something comforting about wide open spaces with nature enveloping you. Down the windy path there sat a building with a large front porch that was reminiscent of a home. I mistakenly thought this might be John Faulkner’s house on the property. It was a crisp evening, so upon entering the building, the warmth was welcoming. We encountered an old saddle on display, paintings of beautiful horses, and family photos. The large wooden desk in the entrance area was the first indication that this was, in fact, the office.
John Faulkner, president of Cornerstone Solutions Group, introduced himself with a big smile and invited us to sit down in his cozy office. I immediately noticed sonogram pictures of what appeared to be twins and I smiled to myself. How often do you encounter a big strapping man who runs a multi-million dollar company, and has imagery of his grandchildren in the womb hanging on his office wall? My first impression of John was that this man values family and integrates it into his business.
When asked about the significance of his property’s name, Jewels Halo, John remarked, “My wife’s name is Julie, but I’ve always called her Jewels.” He went on to explain her angelic qualities, hence the word halo. I also wondered about his company’s name, and John revealed, “I named it Cornerstone because I always wanted to remember who I was and who I represented.” John was referring to Jesus as the cornerstone of his life and business. He later explained that his business is God’s and it begins and ends with Him.
As a former U.S. Marine, we pondered how John came to run such an expansive company centered around trees, literally. He shared a story going back to 1983 when he rented a home and the large tree out front had died from the Christmas day freeze. The Landlord suggested that he pay to get it cut down and then he wouldn’t have to pay rent for a few months. The entrepreneurial spirit in John came alive. He laughed as he remembered his humble beginnings and relived his initial thoughts, “I can go buy a chainsaw and cut this thing down myself and be way ahead!” After that John decided to put an ad in the paper and began cutting down trees for a living. It wasn’t until a friend put John up for a large contract to landscape several buildings that he began planting more trees than he was cutting down. For many years, John and his family used to sweep up the acorns off their church parking lot and plant them in pots. Now their seeds have grown into beautiful trees that can be found throughout Tampa Bay.
John founded the company in 1984 on one acre of land in the Odessa area as Faulkner Landscaping. They outgrew that land and purchased their first nursery in 1992. A few years later they changed the name of the company to Cornerstone Tree Farm, Inc. John explained, “Eventually it became worth more money for a small development and we took that money and rolled it up into this one here.” In 2000, John purchased about 120 acres of farm land in eastern Pasco County. Then, “in 2008 the name was changed again due to the fact that Cornerstone was offering so many more services and having Tree Farm in the name implied that the company was one- dimensional.”
Today Cornerstone offers much more than landscaping, including hardscape design, land planning, landscape architecture, commercial construction, irrigation, total maintenance, environmental services, nursery operations, hurricane preparedness, and major storm clean up. Their fitting slogan - ”We are the answer!” - portrays a company ready to solve problems. John explained, “We’re the answer because we have a servant’s heart.” Cornerstone is a business that values integrity, quality, and service in all of their customer relationships. With standards like these and Christ at the center of this company, it is not surprising that Cornerstone continues to thrive in today’s economy.
John candidly shared that he can break his career into two parts. “The first half was the grabbing and stacking phase where you grab things and stack them up and call them your own.” John’s business was running very successfully, but he still felt like there was something missing. He remembers, “I realized that God loved me and that He expected a lot out of me. When I learned this, things started to change.” This marked the second part of his career; the part where John took hold of a vision for his company that had been in his heart. At this point in the interview, John reached over the desk and handed us a letter. Curiously, I took the paper out of his hand as he encouraged us to read it.
It was a heartfelt letter expressing gratitude for the way in which John has run Cornerstone over the years. The writer explained a milestone in his family’s life that was made possible through his employment at Cornerstone. The letter highlighted the fact that the company cares more about the employee’s quality of life than his quality of work. The writer expressed how John has maintained a family-oriented, friendly atmosphere to work in that demonstrates kindness and respect. He also noted how John’s guiding vision allows others to mentor leaders within the company and to “understand the satisfaction [that is] received by adding so much value to the lives of people around” them. The letter reiterated that the company and its employees exude the loving and forgiving nature of God.
As I finished reading the letter, I smiled and swallowed my tears as I looked up at John. He asked, “Who do you think wrote that?” Before I could answer he said, “I did.” He explained that he had asked himself one night, “John, what makes you happy? What would make your life fulfilling?” John answered his own question, “I would like to change people’s lives. That’s what I would like to do.” So, John sat down and wrote the letter as inspiration for the new vision of the company. He wanted to create a company where every employee could write a letter just like that. He remembers praying that night for God to help him. John explained, “Vision starts with God and ends with God.”
John’s vision also entailed building a great company that illustrates to other businesses that you can not only survive, but also thrive using godly principles. He endeavored to run his business in a way that God could honor and protect. John realized that this vision was so important to the future of his business and employees. He explained that if his vision was “to get John rich,” then he would have a hard time getting all 225 employees on board and actually passionate about that vision. He shared that the key to employees understanding the vision is having one they can relate to. John expressed, “Everybody is passionate about having a great life and opportunity for themselves and their family, and a chance to share God and know God in an atmosphere that is not threatening.”
John’s vision has certainly become a reality. He grins and reveals that he spends most of his time now working on people rather than landscaping. John remarks, “I encourage people and I work on them. I cast vision for the business and rally the troops.” This past January John semi- retired and turned the business over to a leadership team, which gives him more time to cast vision and, of course, golf.
Cornerstone continues to grow and thrive, so what makes them different? John summed it up in two words, “The culture.” The vision that God gave to John for his business is repeated and talked about frequently throughout the company. He takes the time to gather his employees (the Cornerstone Family) as often as possible to encourage them to maintain a servant’s heart and strive for victories every day. John has created a working environment that is extremely family-oriented. This culture is reinforced in the design of the office building’s home-like feel, open office areas that facilitate communication and camaraderie, and walls of photographs displaying the employees and their families in the lobby. John commented, “I could easily put all those pictures of landscapes up here if I wanted to impress somebody.” It’s clear what John values most about the company - the families of Cornerstone.
John has worked hard to cultivate this culture and he shared, “Part of it is that we hire people we like. We can teach them the landscape business,” but it’s a person’s character and integrity that gets them the job. Before hiring anyone, John wants to know if they care about their life and their family. He’s learned that if they don’t, then they won’t care about the business.
On the other hand, John will protect the company and when the need arises he will pull aside an employee for a “pep talk.” He pointed to a sign on his wall that depicted rows and rows of blue fish swimming in one direction and just one red fish pointed in the other. He said he’ll take that sign and say, “I understand from your boss that red fish is you. You either need to turn that fish around, or this school of fish is going to swim away and you’re not going to be with us.” He reflected, “Sometimes you grow a business by who you add, [who you let go, and who you challenge to reach their potential].”
For Cornerstone, it’s really all about a culture of caring for one another, their customers, and the community. “As a company and as individuals, we understand that with success comes a responsibility and a requirement to exemplify leadership: ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…’ (Mark 10:45, NKJV).” To encourage serving others, Cornerstone gives out the “Caught in the Act of Caring Award.” John explained, “Every month we give an award to one of our people that is out there doing something in the community or in our business that’s going above and beyond.”
This caring nature is further expressed through their charitable division, Cornerstone Cares. “We believe we have to be active in our community,” remarked John. They do this by sponsoring charitable events, helping to rebuild homes, landscaping schools, building a garden for an autism center, and serving various other worthy causes. Cornerstone Cares has been involved with such charities as Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, The Spring, Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, Operation Christmas Child, and several others.
Their website explained that the mission of Cornerstone Cares is to take the “financial success of the company and translate it into employee-driven actions and projects that improve the spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial condition of select individuals and organizations.” In 2009 Cornerstone Cares put their mission into action again by putting together its first Charity Golf Classic. The event was a huge success that benefitted Cornerstone Campus Ministry and Cornerstone Center for Women (neither are affiliated with the company). Cornerstone has greatly impacted the community and continues to do so, which only strengthens the service-oriented culture of the company.
John stands on Psalm 5, specifically verses 11 and 12, for success in his life and business. “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your Name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor, You will surround him as with a shield” (Psalm 5:11-12, NKJV). John commented, “I believe if you do the right thing, then God will protect you. That’s the way I believe it. Do the right thing for the right reasons.”
John also revealed that he focuses on Luke 12:48 (NKJV): “…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” John mentioned that he knows with all of the success God has given him - he will be responsible for more. It is quite apparent that John believes in blessing others from the abundance God has given him. John is not shy to admit that everything he has is from God, because God is not only the cornerstone of his business, but also the cornerstone of his life.
We asked John what advice he would give to other Christian business owners and he replied, “Work on your culture and have a long term vision.” He went on to say that business owners need to learn how to articulate the vision they see for the future of the company and relay that to their employees. John expressed how important it is for employees to take hold of that vision and believe in what they are doing for the company. He smiled and revealed that the way to get employees on board with your vision is to make their time at work a part of their life, not just a job.
John mentioned that God has put a burden on his heart for Christian businesses that are struggling. He used the book of Nehemiah from the Bible as an analogy. The walls around Jerusalem had fallen and His people didn’t care, but God had put the desire and the will in Nehemiah to rebuild those walls. John was led to share with these business owners that God gave them their businesses and they could be doing so much better than they are. John has heard some say, “If I could just get an investor; if I had the money, I could make this business really work.” John likes to respond, “What if you presented your plan to God and said, ‘God, this is how I think my business will benefit the Kingdom.’ What if God invested in your business?” John reiterated how vital it is to the success of a business to have a “Kingdom goal” for the company. John explained, “You cannot expect God to show favor in a business that doesn’t have the Lord at the heart of the operation.” The greatest piece of advice John has for business owners is this: Ask yourself, “Where does God fit in?”
There is no doubt in my mind why Cornerstone Solutions Group is one of the top companies in its field and continues to grow. When any person or business makes the decision to put God first, then He will be faithful to take care of the rest. God desires to see His children prosper. John Faulkner has built a company that will long out live him because he has planted the seeds to a continuous cycle of harvest for many generations to come. Praise be to God! Glory!
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