We were lucky to catch up with Tracy DeJarnett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tracy, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
In a world of doubt, fear and hate, be the voice of love, empathy and support. In 2017 I made the step towards bringing people together around a common thing – music. It was a time in my life where I had just finished a long period of stress, worry, doubt, and illness. I emerged with a new clarity about what mattered. I had taken a step back from the front lines of stress and saw a very divided and stressed out world. It came to me that music, family and nature could play a part in healing so I decided to throw my first music festival on a 500-acre ranch. I also decided that proceeds would go to animal rescues. Success to me would be smiling happy faces all around, and it worked.
Since then music continues to play a major role in my life and I share it every chance I get. I say now that music takes me to places that business alone never did! In fact, it led me to Liege, Belgium where I was invited to mentor a company in the Wallifornia music + tech conference. The company I mentored, Tickets for Good, who works with promoters, venues and brands to set aside tickets for those doing good and those who could use some good.
Today I wear the Chief Marketing Officer hat for a fiber glass pipe and fittings company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Looking back I know that meaning comes from doing hard things. Hard things bring about meaning and sometimes having the hard conversations first, doing the things you’ve been putting off, stepping into the unknown to help make a difference can be hard – but worth it. I’m excited to step into a role where I believe I can make a real difference – to our company, our employees and our communities. As I say now, “if clean water counts, count on Hobas Pipe.”
I have a deep gratitude to my business coach too who helped me develop a discipline of empathy, awareness and resilience, to wade into hard things in order to do great things.
I also have recently been re-appointed to the Houston Music Advisory Board that supports the City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs in finding ways to support music in our growing city. I’m thrilled to represent our community of stars and future stars – Houston is home to some of the largest stars in the world like Beyonce, Bun B, Parker McCollum! Pick a genre and we likely have a top hitmaker from Houston there!
If I could provide a piece of advice on how to find your optimism, it would be don’t back down from the hard to do things, step in and find meaning. In the process watch what you consume – whether it’s the news, music, friends, food…be particular about what you take in. It matters. Sift out the negative, and stay focused on the positive and cut out all processed foods! When I did I healed myself from a chronic disease. It’s possible and if I can help provide words of encouragement or inspiration, please follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracydejarnett/ and https://www.instagram.com/tracy_dejarnettcmo/.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Today I am Chief Marketing Officer of a pipe and fittings manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. We provide piping systems for water and wastewater, selling to private and public municipalities across the country. Hobas Pipe is “Made in America, Built for Life!”
Our growth today is in providing the piping solution technology to deliver water to communities. Water, being a precious resource, matters to every drop so we’re proud of our piping solutions that are leak-free, corrosion free and built to last a lifetime and beyond. Look for the large fiber glass pipes on job sites around the country as they prep to install new water lines to support communities of all sizes! When you see that blue Hobas Pipe logo you can rest assured your municipality has selected a pipe that’s built to last. Working with my team at Hobas feels like home and I’m very proud of the work we are doing there.
You’ll still find me supporting music in our community. Come see us every Friday and Saturday for free live music at East River 9. I’m passionate about my work, my home in the City of Houston and our community. I hope you’ll come see us sometime and if you need a good piping system for water and wastewater now you know where to look!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
“Smart risk.” my dad used that phrase. He joined the NASA Johnson Space Center in its infancy when sixty-two years ago, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy exclaimed, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”
My Dad John A. Rummel had a seat at the table, a front row seat, to achieve the mission of our landing on the moon. His role, through taking smart risk of walking into a meeting he had “heard about” but wasn’t specifically invited to – his boss said “sure if you want to go but it’s not necessary” – he had the opportunity to share his vision for testing and readying man for space flight. Dr Berry who ran the meetings that day, known as the “astronaut physician” was in charge of the medical support for astronauts. “John, that sounds like a good thing to do…” My Dad’s physical flight tests became the standard for ensuring astronauts were ready for the rigors of space flight and he provided the “go / no go” readiness certification for over 13 missions. You can see the fitness bike he designed today in the Smithsonian Institute.
This smart risk emphasizes two things – 1) know the risks, 2) proceed. All of this implies preparation of course! My second piece of advice my mom gave me, and as a lifelong teacher she knew, “stay curious.”
Armed with this knowledge, I proceed to take on worth-while risks and I intend to inspire those around me that anything is possible. “There’s always a way, around, over and through any challenge.”
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Currently we are seeking people to join my marketing team at Hobas Pipe to help us support our sales and marketing outreach to the US water market. If this sounds like you, please reach out to me through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracydejarnett/ and https://linktr.ee/TracyDeJarnett.
If you’re interested in music either as a sponsor, performer or venue let me know that too!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/TracyDeJarnett
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracy_dejarnettcmo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracydejarnett/
- Other: https://hobaspipe.com
Image Credits
Hobas Pipe USA, LLC
