High school sweethearts, Alexia and Jermaine Hardison have the kind of love story that Hallmark movies are made of. Side by side, they have weathered life's storms together throughout their fourteen-year marriage. Coming from humble beginnings and difficult childhoods, both Mr. and Mrs. Hardison graduated from college determined to succeed in their careers and create generational wealth for their future children.
While Mr. Hardison worked as a social worker and Mrs. Hardison worked in banking, the couple realized that their respective 9-5’s weren’t going to get them to where they wanted to be financially.
“We weren’t born into wealthy families and neither one of us had careers that generated six-figure incomes,” Mr. Hardison said. “Growing up I never really experienced any kind of stability. My mom was an addict, and my dad was in prison. I moved around a lot and since I never got to experience what it was like to have a home, I used to dream of one day buying a ton of them.”
The husband and wife duo decided to try their hand at buying, renovating, and then leasing out residential properties in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Before they could get their business up and running, however, they faced the daunting task of attaining a business loan.
“Having not come from money and not having business connections, most banks weren’t even willing to listen to our business plan. We were turned away so many times and when we were at the brink of giving up we met John Day,” Mr. Hardison said.
Mrs. Hardison said First Security Bank’s President and CEO treated the couple like family and not only listened to their vision for their future but helped them attain the capital they needed to get started.
“The people at First Security Bank are truly special people,” Mrs. Hardison said. “From the minute we walked through the door I knew we were welcomed. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”