Originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, Harlan Jones wanted to attend a college in Knoxville, Tennessee, that was affordable. After taking a tour of Pellissippi State, Harlan Jones knew that he had found the college that he wanted to attend.

Harlan graduated from Pellissippi State Community College with a plan to continue his education at a four-year university. However, he began a job with a lawn service company the day after graduation. He soon discovered that he does well with sales and didn’t look back.

He began his own landscape company with one truck five years ago called Jones Property Management. The company quickly took off. He now has seven trucks and 11 full-time employees. The company does mowing, landscaping and hardscaping for residential and commercial properties. One year into his landscaping company, Harlan received his real estate license and now also sells properties for Realty One Group, The Harlan Jones Group.

After learning of the devastation due to Hurricane Helene, Harlan felt led to lend his expertise to those affected. He visited an area in North Carolina and was shocked by what he saw. He posted a plea for help on social media and was able to raise $10,000 in one weekend, in addition to the funds he personally donated.

He and his crew took off from work for two weeks, cleaning up debris and downed trees. They even rerouted a creek, so debris and downed trees could be removed. Harlan also knocked on doors making sure the occupants where okay. He says that he could not have done this without Knoxville, as this community donated such things as equipment and diesel fuel.

There is still more work to be done, so Harlan is hoping to find more funding in order to continue his efforts. hashtag#psccalumni

Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains and Magnolia Avenue.