The Entrepreneurial Edge
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John Laymon '73, JRL Enterprises Photo by Tom Fitzpatrick, Visual Perspectives

Doing the Right Thing

John Laymon '73
JRL Enterprises

f you have ever ridden a "people mover" down an airport corridor or taken the subway in New York or a trolley in San Francisco or Singapore, chances are you've used one of John Laymon's products. His company, Pittsburgh-based JRL Enterprises, builds and reconditions many of the transit vehicles used by travelers around the globe.

Laymon '73 grew up fast and poor in Pittsburgh, the son of parents who never completed junior high school. He was one of 30 young African-Americans who attended UNH under full Martin Luther King Jr. scholarships. Laymon earned his engineering degree at UNH and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and then rose through the ranks at a large engineering and construction company. He had been with the company for a decade when his division was sold, and Laymon found he was part of the deal.

"I felt like a piece of meat," Laymon says, recalling the day when he was informed he'd have to leave the company and his hometown. "I'd done all the right things, but suddenly I had no control over my future."

It was this jolting experience that prompted him to start his own business. He put his deep technical, management and marketing experience to use, yet it was hard for him to establish credibility with potential clients and the banks. "Initially, credibility is always an issue, especially for minorities. I'd say, 'I'm the owner, the manager, and the technologist,' and they'd tell me, 'No, you can't do all that,' even though I'd been doing it all along."

From the outset, Laymon believed in giving people--particularly historically repressed minorities--a chance. One of his managers is a former drug addict, and one of his best supervisors is a former prisoner. "I believe in being socially responsible and creating opportunities for others. People can change, if you give them the chance," he says. He finds great satisfaction in seeing people succeed and become able to support their families and own a home.

Laymon's own hard work and his ability to hire and train good people with positive attitudes helped the company to grow and prosper. He now owns three plants and employs nearly a hundred people, and the company's annual revenues exceed $14 million. Yet in spite of that success and his company's demonstrated ability to perform, he still has to prove himself to many people. "People look at me and automatically assume our success is due to affirmative action," he says. "It's frustrating."

In Laymon's view, a successful entrepreneur must be trustworthy to earn a good reputation and attract repeat business. It's essential to establish good credit, both personally and professionally, in order to secure funds that will fuel the business's growth. A solid understanding of business principles is essential, and so is the ability to step into many different roles and to attract good people to work with you. "You may be a great engineer and have a better mousetrap, but if you can't do the marketing and financials, or you don't have good people who can do those things for you, you won't be successful," he says. ~

Kimberly Swick Slover is director of communications at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H.