Meet Jordan Rose | Furniture Design & Fabrication

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Rose and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work life balance has changed dramatically over time. When I first started my business, it was all consuming. I would work all day every day, doing everything I could to get the business off the ground. This would often result in an 80-100 hour work weeks and little time for anything else. After a few years of operating this way, I realized it was not sustainable long-term. I made a shift in my thinking to allow my team to have more autonomy and take some of the day to day burden off of myself. This was an excellent decision that allowed me to have a personal life outside of work. I was able to spend more time on my relationships, get married, buy a house, and just a few months ago welcome a new child into our family.

I also realized the value in a healthy work life balance for my team. I stress to them the importance of taking time off and doing things for themselves. This has created an environment of happy, healthy and more productive employees. We rarely work overtime, and everyone appreciates the fact that they have a life outside of work.

My thinking on work life balance has certainly shifted. I went from being 100% focused on nothing but work to realizing that I am happier, and actually more productive, when I take time for myself and my family. The grind at the start of the business was necessary, but the balance I’ve now achieved is great.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
GoodWood Nola is a custom design and fabrication firm specializing in architectural fabrication and custom furniture. What sets us apart from others is our commitment to quality and sustainability. We are a certified sustainable business that has been recognized by industry leaders for best practices. We strive to create the highest quality furniture and fixtures while minimizing our impact on the environment. Sustainability also means more than being environmentally conscious; to us, sustainability includes connecting with those in the community, using and reusing materials that can be replenished naturally, and building a business that bolsters the local economy. New Orleans is our home, and we are committed to bettering our community. We have a responsibility as well as a vested interest in advancing both the people and environment around us. We are passionate about partnering with other businesses and non-profit organizations in our area to continually enhance our community for the collective benefit of the people of New Orleans.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am lucky enough to live in one of the best places to host visitors. New Orleans is one of the most interesting and vibrant cities in the country.

One of the first spots I like to bring friends when they arrive is Parkway Bakery & Tavern for some po’ boys. If you like seafood, get the fried shrimp. If seafood isn’t your thing, I’d suggest the roast beef with gravy. Next up would be Frenchmen Street for some live music. It doesn’t really matter what day of the week it is; you can always count on seeing some great local bands on Frenchmen. My favorite spot to check out is DBA.

I also enjoy bringing visitors to the restaurants and bars we’ve worked on, like District Donuts for breakfast and coffee, Dovetail for a glass of wine and Nola Caye for dinner. Another day we could stop by The Daily Beet for a healthy, but still delicious, breakfast and Barracuda for some tacos and margs. A trip to New Orleans isn’t complete without a visit to the French Quarter. There are so many tourist traps, but there are also some local favorites. My go-to for another night of live music is Preservation Hall, a historic music venue in the French Quarter working to protect, preserve and perpetuate the spirit of traditional New Orleans jazz. There truly is no place like it.

If I have someone visiting for more than a couple of days, I try to get out of the city and onto the water for a day of fishing. My family has a fishing camp about 45 minutes outside of New Orleans. After a morning of catching redfish and trout, we’d have a relaxing evening of cooking and drinking ice cold beers and whiskey!

To close out the trip, on Sunday we’d join the Who Dat nation to cheer on the Saints at the Superdome.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to a local couple, John and Tricia, who offered support and mentorship at a critical time during the growth of my business. Their guidance helped me focus more on GoodWood and allowed the company to move into a new 16,000 square foot facility, which dramatically increased the scale of projects we are able to take on.

Website: www.goodwoodnola.com

Instagram: @goodwoodnola

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Image Credits
Randy KrauseSchmidt Trevor Mark