John Zook is a Business Advisor for the advising team at Gehman Accounting. In 2005, he helped his family transition from a farm to a small portable storage building business. During the transition from manual bookkeeping to QuickBooks, John discovered his love for business operations. During the next 20 years, he worked in construction and purchased Cherokee Storage Buildings. Under John’s ownership, the company acquired two competitors and brought the transportation division in-house. Cherokee Storage Buildings experienced significant growth, tripled revenue, and went from five employees to twelve.
John also understands business challenges. When he took over the storage building company in 2007, he was 26 years old and owed substantial debt. Some of John’s most valuable lessons were learned during the economic downturn of the following three years. John considers it a privilege to share with business owners the insights he gained firsthand. John believes that company culture is crucial to profitability and has adopted the phrase, “profitability follows culture.” He is passionate about helping company owners understand their financial position, allowing them to be both profitable and create a culture where employees thrive.
John also lived in Kenya, Africa, for 4 ½ years. In Kenya, he worked as a business manager under Amish Mennonite Aid (AMA). He navigated paperwork with immigration offices, conducted international banking, and related to people in a cross-cultural setting.
John and his lovely wife have six children and love calling Tennessee home. Every day, he is blessed with a view of the majestic Appalachian Mountains. John serves as treasurer on the local parochial school board and is pursuing a Business Advisor Certification from Kent State University.
