We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Head. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.

Kevin , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents did a lot of things right, but when looking back, the best thing they did was teach me values, kindness, and a drive to succeed, all by leading by example. I grew up watching my parents work hard in each of their professions, to make it to the top, and also have the time necessary to raise a family, never miss sporting events, school engagements, or anything related to me or my sibling. They have always been very active in church, community fundraisers, and just never say “no” when someone needs help. I come from a very large family, and everyone is just like that. If anyone in the community needs help, my family is always there. I learned from an early age, that you can focus on your own dreams, and goals, without losing sight of everyone around you.

Kevin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

December 2023, will mark my nineteenth year with Easterseals UCP, of North Carolina and Virginia. I am a Program Manager for enhanced, community based services, for mental health, in 12 counties, and have services in two mental health clinics, located in Statesville, NC, and Mt. Airy, NC. I’ve worked in almost every service, supporting individuals with mental health needs, linking with community services, and more. While working in the field, I would assist with making adjustments to services to improve them, which led to helping start new programs, and just continued to be more and more involved with starting and supporting programs, so now they fall under me. I am on Boards for non-profits, and involved in various community collaboratives to help support local entities. I am also part owner of Integrity Security Inc., which is a local residential and commercial security company. I own this with childhood friends, with the intent of providing the best security possible, at affordable costs, while providing the best customer service we can. Every customer will deal with an owner when going through the design process, and all the way through. I own Statesvegas Clothing Company, with a childhood friend, that I met in kindergarten. We provide apparel geared towards our community, and have retro shirts, highlighting businesses that are not longer around. We also help design logos for local businesses, provide apparel, stickers, and more. We started it for fun, as Statesvegas was a slang term for Statesville, and it just took off. Helping local companies by providing services at low costs, is a way to give back to the community, and also ensure that we are encouraging more businesses to find their home here. I’ve started several non-profits with fiends, which evolved into The 1980 Group LLC. We are three friends, that have a desire to help as many people as possible, especially our local community. Our company provides marketing and consulting services to several brands, which is our specialty. The three of us have a knack for having a creative spark when around each other, which has helped brands launch products into the market, improve their revenue, and we are able to get exposure for brands on social media, and beyond, by utilizing relationships that we have built for many years, with people in various industries. The other side of this, is that we can utilize brands, and relationships to support many fundraisers in our community. We have been part of all kinds of fundraiser to support non-profits, and all proceeds go back to the community. We do everything from being guest bartenders, to putting together raffles, to raise money. Growing up, my ultimate goal was to feel like I was at a place, where I could help others, and luckily, I figured out how to make it happen. Truthfully, helping others, is what makes me feel like I am at the right place in life, instead of the other way around.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Two years ago, this November, I was working in the yard, and suddenly had a very bad headache. It was unlike any headache I had ever experienced. Three days later, and still this headache, I decided to go to the urgent care. They treated me for a sinus infection, gave me medicine for a migraine and sent me home. The next day, with no letting up, I went for a scan of my head. It turned out, I had an artery that popped in my brain, and I was experiencing a brain bleed. I was rushed to an ICU, forty five minutes away, and spent the next three days in ICU. Nothing was ever determined, as to the cause of it, but while in the hospital something kept happening over and over. Staff would say they couldn’t believe I was walking and talking, and in such good spirits. I never really thought about how serious it was, because I never felt like I wouldn’t just bounce back. Doctor’s told me I was handling too much, under too much stress, not resting enough, and basically that I needed to just take things down a notch. Well, I don’t live that way, but my body was telling me differently. It took weeks to feel normal again, and months before I felt like myself. During all that time, I just felt like I was going to have to stop doing so many things. At first, I was juggling things better, and saying “no” to requests from various directions for help, but it just didn’t feel right. Sure, I felt more rested, but it was leaving a hole in me. I realized my entire purpose is to help others, be a better friend. be more engaged with family, and truly realize when those moments you can’t get back are happening, and truly be aware, and be there, for them. I’ve been more involved than ever with fundraisers and community events, but I have also learned to balance it all. My wife, is the strongest person I have ever known, and seeing the fear she had during all this, is something I will never forget. She knows how I feel about being involved and helping others, and we constantly talk about recognizing moments, as they are happening. Hopefully, I’ve done better about living in the moment, instead of worrying about the following moments, and what is coming up next.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What you see with me, is what you get. Honesty, Integrity, and Passion are the three things that I believe in the most. I don’t like to waste time, so I will always say what’s on my mind. share ideas, and also give feedback when others share ideas. If everyone has a common goal, there doesn’t need to be a hero. The team is the hero, if a goal is met, so I like to hear everyone, and develop plans based on others strengths. When involved with anything, if I decide it’s worth spending time on, I am passionate about it, and I expect others to be as well. My reputation has been built on relationships and how I treat people. I believe everyone deserves respect, and honesty, and something as simple as just following up with people, is huge these days. People just don’t talk anymore, so I think it’s important to build that trust with people, by truly reaching out. I am also known to push the best products on the market, so I will not work with whatever brand comes along. If I say it’s the best, I truly mean it. This also spills into my true career. Staff that work with me, know I am approachable, and will work with them to find solutions. I don’t ask anyone to do anything I haven’t done, and will do again. I’ve worked in services so they know that I understand what they are dealing with. Early on in my career, I had a hard time, taking instruction from a supervisor, that had never been out in the field. I knew I would never be that way. I continue to help staff move peoples belongings when they are evicted, when they find new housing, and much more. The stories are endless, but the point is, I am willing to do the work, that I expect others to do. Anything I am involved in, came across my path for a purpose, and I don’t intend to waste that chance to make a difference, so I expect the same from others, and I appreciate when everyone does their best. Going back to the question about my parents, it all makes sense. I’ve always been around people that expected the best version of me, and pushed me to get there. It took me longer than it should have, but thankfully, I made it, and hopefully others see that I try to lead by example. Obviously, I am a work in progress, like most, but each day, is a day to be better.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagam.com/khead23
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kevin.head.5855