As Hillsdale’s seniors scramble to find jobs before graduation next semester, one senior will already be co-managing a business in sunny California.
Justice Karmie, a fifth-year senior who plays left guard on the Hillsdale College football team, plans to move to Los Angeles in January to help run an LLC of Forever- Lawn, a company which sells artificial grass products, with his brother-in-law Corey Adkins.
“It’s crazy to think that in two months, I’ve gone from not knowing what I’m going to do after school to knowing I’m going to be run- ning a business out in Southern California,” Karmie said, whose uncles started Forever- Lawn in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2004. “I’ve never even been to California, let alone Los Angeles, so to move out there and run a business is going to be crazy but it’ll be really fun at the same time.”
Adkins said he is looking forward to having Karmie join him in Los Angeles.
“Justice has had the privilege of being raised in a family that is led by men of character,” Adkins said. “He has worked hard to grow into a man that embodies those same principles, and I am excited to work with him to take ForeverLawn pacific coast to the top by becoming the No. 1 producing dealership.”
Right now, Adkins is running every aspect of the business, and Karmie will join him in doing various jobs until they hire more em- ployees. Once they have a more established presence, Karmie’s role will evolve.
“When I get out there we’re going to be doing a little bit of everything, but as we bring on more pieces and more people get involved, eventually I’m going to be more sales and corporate contracting with a little bit of marketing,” Karmie said.
Karmie thinks hiring the right people will be a hard process.
“The best way for us to do it is to find skilled people that are available that we can also trust,” Karmie said. “When you’re new you have to have a lot of faith with the people you’re working with.”
Karmie might have already found one person to work with him whom he trusts. Jacob Richter, who graduated from Hillsdale last spring, is considering moving to California to work with Karmie.
“I’m taking into account many factors as to whether to move out there or not,” Richter said. “It would be awesome
to work with one of my best friends, and on top of that, he’s a great human being. He will be a great fit for this job because he has a strong work ethic and his family has given him a solid foundation.”
Karmie said he hopes Richter joins him in Los Angeles.
“It’s a dream situation for me,” Karmie said. “I get to help run a business with my brother-in-law and possibly one of my best friends from here. It almost seems surreal at times.”
Due to the drought in California, artificial grass is in high demand in Los Angeles.
“With the business we want to have, we’re hoping to be do- ing 20,000 square feet a month within the next year,” Karmie said. “To put that in perspective, typical cost is about $10 a square foot, so 20,000 square feet a month is a pretty good chunk of change.”
Karmie is from Uniontown, Ohio, which has a population of around 3,000, and has never lived in a big city.
“Being from a small town and going to college in a small town, I’m very comfortable and I like that setting a lot,” Karmie said. “It’ll be an interesting transition. From what I hear, the worst part about it is the traffic so that’s probably the part I’m least looking forward to.”
Karmie said when he’s older and has a family, living in a city like Los Angeles is not ideal, but he’s looking forward to living there now.
“If there’s a time in my life where I’m going to try living in a city, it’s when I’m 22 years old right out of college and I don’t have any real attachments,” Karmie said. “I don’t know how I’m going to feel about it immediately, but if there’s a time to do it, a time to take a chance, a time to grow a little bit, it’s right now.”
