Indiana
man earns a living making custom models
ABC
News Chicago, ILL
From left to right
William Jackson, Harry Porterfield, Barbara Jackson, Carol Tate
Mr. Porterfield stopped by June 23, 2005 to watch me turn wood into a
masterpiece
How I got started ?
Imagine for a moment a cold bleak January day 1999.
You’re swinging the hammer hard knowing the boss is in a
hurry to get this one finished. Everyone has left for the day and you know if
you kick butt for just a while longer you can finish the sub flooring. The
weather starts to turn nasty and it begins to sleet. Before you know it the
planks are covered with a thin sheet of ice. You go to get another board, turn,
slip, try to regain your balance and you feel something rip and rip hard.
For William Jackson this day would be one he would never
forget. It would go on to change his life in ways he never dreamed possible.
William at the age of forty had been in construction most of his life. He had a
natural knack for building things and an energy level that always ran on high
gear. It was an old standing joke between he and his wife of fifteen years that
William didn’t go to the bar to get away, he swung a hammer.
On that fateful winter day William had damaged his arm far
worse than even he thought. By the time he returned home that evening his wife
noticed he had no color in his face. A trip to the doctor confirmed some of his
suspicion and gave light to new ones. He had done some serious damage to his
bone, tendons, and muscles near the right elbow joint. In fact he would later
learn he had ripped most of them away from his muscle making his right arm
virtually useless.
Over the next year William saw several doctors and went
through extensive physical therapy. His arm made slight improvements, but he
was unable to do many of the things that had come so naturally to him. There
were times he was unable to even pick up a coffee cup with his arm.
A year came and went and Jackson was still unable to use his arm
efficiently. He recalls the most difficult thing for him was the inability to
give his family of five the amenities that they had grown accustomed to having.
“I’d always provided a good life for my family. (Jeromy 14, Amanda 13, and Abigail
3) It was very difficult for me to watch my wife leave to go to her teaching
job every day knowing she was pulling more than her share. I’m an old-fashioned
kind of a guy and I wanted to give her everything she deserved.”
In a last ditch effort to hear some hopeful news Jackson decided to see
one more specialist, the best in the field. During that consultation, Jackson was bluntly told
it was time to move his life to Plan B. He knew then that no amount of wanting
to be better was going to help him. He had to have an alternative. The only
problem was, he didn’t have one. All he had known his entire life was
construction.
Jackson became increasingly depressed as he resigned himself to a life
not doing what he loved. Never a drinking man, he took to his garage to
contemplate his options. His worries for his family were immense. Loving the
neighborhood where they lived he and his wife had made the decision to almost
double the size of their existing home to accommodate their growing family just
months before the accident. Although Jackson
had completed 90% of the work himself the cost of materials alone had increased
their mortgage payment. He knew that he would have to move his family and the
thought laid heavily on him.
During his many hours in the garage Jackson began to slowly work with wood again.
He believed in the back of his mind that he could train his arm to work again.
The work was slow and laborious. He was unable to pick up a board that weighed
more than 10 pounds. Any work he did had to be completely by hand; carving,
gluing, and using the scroll saw. His arm couldn’t withstand jarring of any
kind. He doesn’t profess to know why, but he ended up designing and building a
replica of a car he had always admired. The car was made completely from hand out
of wood and from his mind’s eye.
His wife too had her worries, not only for her family’s
well being, but for her husband’s health. There were times when she would watch
him sitting alone in his chair. She had never seen such sadness in his eyes.
She knew what she saw on the outside was only a fraction of what he felt on the
inside. He had never been a complainer, but she knew he was in terrible pain
physically and suffering greatly in his heart.
It was when Barbara first saw the replica that a spark
ignited in her. Being a deeply spiritual woman, she felt then and feels now,
that God was watching over William. He was taking the bad and turning it into
good. Her beliefs would soon be confirmed.
Some Sundays after William had finished the replica she
noticed a contest for Master Craftsmen put on by Sears. She knew instantly that
William’s car would win. It would be just the jump start he needed to realize
his sense of worth wasn’t dependent on how big he could build something or how
much money he brought home. She secretly entered the replica into the contest.
Following these feelings turned out to be the best thing
that she could have ever done. Not only did William win first place in areas of
difficulty and creativity, but a small picture went out in the Sear’s sales
flyer nationally. The picture only told of his placing and listed him as Al
Jackson in DeMotte, Indiana.
Since Al was his middle name, the next occurrence proved to be even more
remarkable.
A seasoned collector in California noticed the ad and tracked him
down. He asked William to send him photos of his work for his perusal. A few
days later the man called and ordered over $20,000 worth of his pieces. When
the work was complete he told William that he had traveled the world over
collecting wooden vehicles and William’s were by far the best he had ever seen.
From this point, door after door opened for Wooden Classic
Wheels. William’s work was showcased on Chicago’s
ABC 7 news “I Love My Car” segment. Then a team member from Martha Stewart
Living called to inform him they were submitting his information to the writers
for a possible segment.
Luck isn’t the only reason Jackson has been able to make a successful
run. When the decision was made to go full force with his dream, money was
tight so he spent his months at home learning how to use his computer and build
a website. He learned by watching over his families’ shoulders as they worked
on various projects and then painstakingly taught himself new tricks. “It took
me three months to build a site that was advertised ‘Make a website in ten
minutes,’ but I did it and it gave me confidence to continue marketing on the
web. I began to research the businesses on the net and had my wife design a
letter for me. I only sent my information to people I thought would benefit
from my talent so it was slow going, but from the beginning I made up my mind
that Wooden Classic Wheels was going to be a personal business. Unbelievably I
started getting inquiries from these mailings. I really think the research and
targeting were responsible for the success.”
He is very emphatic about his philosophy too, “If the
client isn’t pleased than neither am I.” Each order he receives has a personal
element to it. He is involved in every step of the process, from receiving the
order to shipping the pieces out. He has even driven across several states to
select the perfect wood for a special replica. “I want to make sure it’s right.
I’ve told my wife, ‘This business is about us. I want our clients to experience
our values and see our dedication to them. If we can’t feel that bond than we
are too big.’” He indicates that the most enjoyable part of creating a piece
for someone is the personal touch he gives it. Although he does occasionally
work off plans, his favorite pieces are not built to scale. He creates his
pieces working from detailed photos his clients send to him. His ability to
look at a photo and replicate a piece so massive without plans is astonishing.
“It’s kind of turned into a sort of comedy at our house,”
Barbara Jackson states, “He’ll get a photo from a client and print it. He will
spend the evening staring at the picture. He’ll lay it this way and that, put
it down, and before you know it he’s picked it up again. Then when he finishes
a piece he carries it around the house with him for several days and sets it in
whatever room he is in. We’ll look up and see this strange kind of look on his
face. Before you know it, he will take the piece in the garage and fix
something only he and a strong microscope would ever notice! Then he starts the
process all over again. It’s real bad when he has bulk orders! However; when he
is done we are always amazed at his attention to detail.”
Jackson laughs and admits he is a bit picky with his work. “I guess
that is why I’ve been successful. I know the value of a dollar and I want my
client to get what they pay for. If I have an order for one or for a thousand
replicas each one of those pieces is going to belong to someone. I want them to
be proud of it.”
His clients quickly pick up on his enthusiasm and passion.
Jackson has
never had an unhappy customer and over 90% of his clients are repeat customers.
“I like to find out the story behind the replica. My
clients are ordering these vehicles to represent a very important part of them
whether it is a special car, heavy equipment, or a replica to represent a
company. It might be about that first hole in one, first car, years of service,
dream cars, or a show piece to say about a company, ‘We take pride in what we
do.’ Whatever the reason, I want to make sure that story gets put into the work
I do. I think I have the greatest job in the world. I get to meet people from
all over the world and get to know about them. I’m unlike most internet
business. I’m not just processing orders. I am creating art that has a little
of me, the client, and the vehicle in it. That’s what I’m after. For me, I get
to put everything a guy loves into one thing: big steel, wood, and power tools.
What could be better than that?”
He also utilizes technology to keep his clients updated.
During the design process he takes photos and sends them via email. The clients
appreciate being part of the work and get excited about the arrival of the
finished piece. It also helps if a subtle detail wasn’t picked up in the client
photo.
In one year Jackson’s
business has grown larger than he could have ever imagined. He has been
commissioned by several corporate clients to design series that are given to
employees and clients as gifts and incentives. Orders continue pouring in from
collectors and individuals. The most exciting thing to William is that his
talent has led him to the Plan B he thought he didn’t have. “I feel very
blessed every day. It’s amazing how things have a way of working out. I
wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Written by: Barbara Jackson
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