Terrin Elam
Terrin Elam is a native of Phoenix, Arizona. He attended McClintock high school, where I was a three-year varsity basketball player. He also played college basketball at Phoenix College for two years. After his basketball career, he and his wife welcomed their first child Terrin Jr., and that is when he decided to join the Navy. Terrin joined the Navy to build a solid foundation for his family. Through his four years of service, he was deployed three times and visited seventeen countries. Upon his separation from the Navy, he started a new career with air products as an industrial gas specialist and then as a plant operator. After being away from home for work more than he preferred, Terrin decided to start The Grand Steam in 2021.
Episode Transcription
Guiding Growth. Conversations with Community Leaders. In this podcast, we'll explore the human journey of leaders. There are stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned. Come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know. This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, providing resources, connections, and belonging for business professionals and modern moments, an event and meeting venue in the heart of Gilbert. Sometimes when you're driving down the street, I have no idea where you're going with this.
Who do we have today? We have an amazing individual who comes to us from some other well-respected leaders in our community. This guest is a native of Arizona and a graduate of McClintock High School and went on to play college basketball for two years before joining the United States Navy where he served four years with three deployments and visited 210 countries today. He owns the Grand Steam and he and his wife are settled into the community in raising three kids under the age of 230. Please welcome today.
Our guest, Taren Elam. I said it correctly. I know that I had to say welcome. Thanks for being here, man. I'm so glad to have you. We're going to start with what we call fire. Fill in the blank happiness is, I don't know, in abundance. I don't know. Ok, what is your, I'm curious about this. So what is your hidden talent? I don't have one. Come on, walking on your hands or I don't ride a unicycle. You got something. What's a really good basketball player? And you can get stains out of carpets, out of a concert.
You will never forget. This is gonna sound horrible up in smoke concert from, uh, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre. And I probably shouldn't have been there, but, hey, I'll never forget it. I regret not being there. So I think I know this because of what you've already shared. But have you ever lived abroad? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All over the place. Not by choice though. Not by choice. It was that same night at the concert. I'm sure what is something people get wrong about you? People think. I'm mean.
Uh, I'm not very, I'm, I'm actually a really nice guy. I just, the fate, I think it's the, I don't know, it's how you eat your steak maybe. Yeah. Or something. Yeah. What makes you hopeful? My kids, kids, my family, it always get better. I love that. Are you more of a thinker or a doer? I think a little bit of both. Uh, I definitely have to think it out before I do something. But, uh, we wish Ben would do that, try to get it done as fast as I can, whatever it is as best as I can.
All right, this is another good one. I'm glad I got this one. If you were to play, if someone were to play you in a movie, who would you want that to be? Denzel Washington? The nice Denzel or the mean Denzel Training Day? Denzel. Oh, yeah. What is your favorite pastime or hobby? Uh, I really like to watch basketball. Football. Doesn't matter. Uh, football, Denver Broncos. Ok. Basketball. Don't really have one last question. What is one thing and only one thing? Because you got a lot. I'm sure that you're grateful for my family.
Yeah, that's, that's the way it always goes. Well. Awesome. All right. That was a fun rapid-fire. This podcast is brought to you by Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Recognized as one of the top 234 best hospitals by health grades. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is a full-service acute care not-for-profit community hospital, providing exceptional health care to the East Valley with a staff of 1800 employees and 400 volunteers. Patients can expect the expertise of more than 900 physicians representing all major specialties. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is proud to be part of the local community and an award-winning employer.
Learn more at dignity health dot org forward slash Arizona. Let's start at the very beginning. Tell us about you and your childhood and growing up and uh here right here in Arizona. So I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Um I mean, I'm the youngest of five. I grew up in a big sports family. My dad worked for South West Gas for 35 years. He retired. My mother works in the semiconductor industry. Still. She worked at Intel for years, Motorola for years. Um like I said, it was fun growing up in Phoenix, uh, big basketball family.
Um, my brothers played basketball. I played basketball, with my cousins, everybody. Um, I mean, from there I went to McClintock High School. It's a little bit out of my district. But, um, the coach, like, saw me playing in the tournament and he was like, I think you'd be really good at McClintock. Uh, my brothers went there as well. So I think that's a majority of the reason I went there, a different coach but all boys in the family. And did they play basketball too? My oldest or not?
My oldest sister, the sister under her. So I guess like the, it's kind of hard to explain but she played basketball. My older sister didn't, she didn't play any sports. What position in basketball were you? I was a guard guard. Ok. So you got some three-point skills on you. I was actually a really good shooter. I shot 52% from three in high school. I see how you say this in past tense. I do not play anymore. It doesn't work. My body doesn't work. I don't have a back.
Got it. It's just non-existent. So you have two really uh busy parents, obviously professionals and hard workers with five kids. Uh What did it look like? Were, was there a lot of balance, were they able to really support you in your sports or what did that look like for you? Yes. Uh, my parents never missed a game. It was actually quite impressive. I never missed a game. Um, I had out-of-state games, they never missed any games. I think they might have missed one. And my dad was like, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
No, not at all. Not at all. It was a good balance. Um, my dad was definitely like a hard worker, um, kind of showed us how to, you know, carry yourself as far as being a man, taking care of your responsibilities, handling, you know, taking care of your family, being a provider. And my mom was like the sweet touch, you know, like that's, I always say I get my, um being a good person, I get that from my mom. My dad was more of like, hey, let's get it done.
This is how you do it. If you commit to something, you finish that kind of, you know, I can see how that's probably carried into your professional career as well. Then how that get it done, works side, but then caring for customers, I'm seeing that already through the influence of your parents. Right. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. So, a basketball player and sports in general, you had a lot of coaches that were most likely part of your sphere, any of those stand out in your mind that, like, really influenced you and impacted your journeys.
Yes, absolutely. Um, Jace Coburn, um, he's the head coach at Portland State right now, but he's my high school coach. Um, he was very young when I was in high school. He might have been like 22 years old, but I mean, it was kind of, he just really believed in me. He like, you know, when he got there, he was told that basically I was like, lazy and a waste of talent is what he was told. Um, and he pretty much rode me so hard. Like, to the point I went home to my dad and I was like, dad, I don't want to play basketball anymore.
This guy's crazy. But, uh dad's name. Crazy. Good though. Yeah, he brought out like, uh, I would say he brought out like the best in me. Like it wasn't, um, he didn't do anything to hurt me. It was just, I just wasn't used to anyone pushing me like that and he, like, brought out the best in me. So I really, really, really appreciate him. We also won a state championship for McClintock in 303. He knew what he was doing. Yeah, he did, he did, he did. Ok. So, basketball, then you went on and played a sport in college too, right.
Yes, I played basketball at Phoenix College for two years and the first male to graduate from college. And that's amazing afterward though. So, after I left Phoenix College, um, my wife and I, uh, she was pregnant with my son at the time. So I had to make a decision. Do I keep pursuing my dream or do I become, you know, now, do I take care of my family? So I decided to put them first, which I thought was the right thing. I, I hope we would, right?
And I joined the Navy, um joined the Navy and then did that for four years, played all Navy basketball and then I came back and then that's when I finished pursuing my degree. Well, um and I appreciate like you, you say that so matter of factly, but that's actually a really big pivotal decision in your life. How do you get to that decision? And, and what type of conversations did you have to ultimately, you know, sign on the dotted line and do it? Uh To me honestly, it was like a no-brainer.
I'll be honest and I think that comes from my dad um as a man, you gotta take care of your responsibilities. So it's not my son's fault that he was brought into this world. So I didn't think it was fair for me to pursue my dreams at that point. So I decided, hey, I need a good foundation about myself and I think this is the way to go. And navy. Why did you select that particular branch of the airport, of the military? Uh So I'll be 100% honest.
Uh It wasn't my first choice. I wanted to go to air force. Uh But at the time, the military in general had a very strict tattoo policy. Um you have to be able to like cover your tattoo with your hand or it's like a rule. I don't know. But um at that point, uh they were like, oh, you're disqualified. I'm like, OK, so I walked next door to the Navy and they were like, oh, we'll take you. And I was like, all right, they had a really good nuclear program as well.
So I was gonna ask you what you went into and, and what you kind of uh I couldn't get in the nuclear program uh at the time, but I did score really, really, really well and uh I'll be uh I struck a machinist mate. Uh That was my job, which we were like propulsion mechanics. So you got to travel a bit then. Yeah, I was gonna say, what are some of the most interesting places that you visited? Dubai? Singapore, Phuket, Thailand. I would probably say those are my three favorite places that I've been. Yeah.
What about, what about those places? So, I've never been anywhere. Like, that's like the cleanest place I've ever seen. Yeah, they have a lot of, like, uh, I don't want to say weird but, like, really crazy rules. Um, you can't, like, walk and eat, it's against the law. You can't, like, uh, walk and drink like, water, anything, it's against the law. Um, you can't even get on someone. Like, if you go to a restaurant you have to ask them, can I get on your wifi or? It's considered stealing?
It's like, but it's, the place looks so clean, like the streets and stuff, it looks so clean because there's no trash, no ways dropping stuff. Yeah. Yeah, it looks so clean. It's pretty cool, pretty cool. Uh, Dubai, such a wealthy country, such a wealthy country. I've never seen, like, some of the things I, I was, took pictures in front of like 24 carat gold Lamborghinis and, like, the police drive, like Ferraris and we were on a tour and the guy says, don't be surprised if you see someone driving by with like an exotic animal, you know, or something like that.
And as he's saying, this guy is flying by and I don't even know what kind of car it was. He had a cheetah sitting in the front seat. It's like the weirdest thing I was like, was that planned. That's crazy. I heard that about Dubai. That sounds like a crazy place. But at the same time, very interesting. Yeah. So they had the gold. So there too. It's pretty cool. So you went like 17 countries when you were on the military tours? Um And you were mentioning some of the greatest ones you went to.
What kind of challenges did you have during that time in your life? Um That's uh some people thrive some people, you know, how did, how did it go for you? Some of the challenges obviously being separated from my family. That was tough. Uh My last deployment, I missed Christmas, Thanksgiving. Um I mean, all the major holidays that people want to be here for, you know, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's missed birthdays. Um So those were very challenging, trying to um support my son and my wife and my daughter at the time, we only had my oldest son and my oldest daughter, my only son and my oldest daughter.
Um but trying to show, you know, be supportive for them from around the world, you know, trying to call, it's like two o'clock in the morning where I'm at, but it's like six o'clock in the morning at home and, you know, still trying to be a father figure and support my wife because obviously it's hard for her to, you know, being separated. So I think that was like the most challenging. Um and they're obviously living in like a sleeping area with like 23, 253 100 guys. That was rough. Yeah. Yeah.
Well, they always, I always hear I was in the military myself but I always hear that after you've finished your tour you walk away with so much, um, knowledge and just new skills on life. What kind of things did you come to mind? That, that resonate for you in that way? Absolutely. Um, the Navy has pretty much provided everything that I've, that I have, that I'm able to do that. I've been able to accomplish. Um, I mean, I purchased my first home because I joined the military.
Um, my wife and kids, they can go to college, um, because I joined the military, I am a disabled veteran. Um, so my wife has been my wife and I, we have benefits until we're 65 and then, you know, social security if we still have it. But all that stuff, you know, it's like everything that I've accomplished. It started with me joining the Navy and that those things like that you can't, like, I don't even know how to explain it. Like I'm so grateful for that opportunity to be able to do that.
Um I don't sit here and say I was one of those guys like gotta go serve my country now. I'll be honest, I went because I felt like I didn't really have any other options and it ended up being probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Um, I have lifelong friends. Um, I'm in a group now and I talk to those guys pretty much every day. We laugh, we joke, we cry whatever we need to do, you know. And, uh, they're, they're really good guys, really good group of guys.
Um, so those experiences that I've had with those guys, um, being on the ship, it's taught me a lot, you know, it, it taught me a lot. Yeah, I can imagine. Ok, so now you get back is that when this business comes about or how does this, what happens next? Uh So when I um separated from the navy, um I initially, I took a job with a company called Air Products. Um and I was an industrial gas tech basically. So we maintained all of the industrial gasses that are used to make the microchips for like um you know, an Intel and my um Motorola and all those places like that.
Um So I was an industrial gas tech there and then I say, hey man, I want to go back to being a plant operator uh also in the navy. Sorry, I'm jumping back in the navy. I was a cryogenic technician. Uh We made liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen argon, all that kind of stuff. Uh It was pretty cool um for the pilots to breathe and all that stuff. So um after I got with their products. I was there, uh, two years, I think, and they had a opening at the plant and I was like, I think I'm gonna go back to operating.
So I took that job or I applied for it and I got it and I worked there, I would say maybe, uh, just about a year. But the schedule was like, so wacky, like, it was just all over the place. Like, you'd work like two days, days and then you're off for a day. You were like three days nights. And then, so I was like, just really grumpy and tired and my wife didn't like me. The kids didn't like me and that was all part of their plan, I guess.
I guess so. But, uh, I say, you know what, I can't do this anymore, man, my body's all messed up. Like I'm always tired, like I couldn't even sit down and I'd fall asleep. So I took a different job. Uh, it was, uh, they used to be air products, but they, we sold off that portion of the company. So I went and worked with those guys called Versa materials, as I mentioned earlier. Um, and again, I was an industrial gas tech at that point again, but, uh, as a traveling, uh, I was on the traveling team.
Um, so the last year before I started the company, I was working in New Mexico. So Monday through Friday, I was working probably 70 to 80 hours a week. Monday through Friday. I would leave, leave New Mexico Friday evening drive here. Um, do job, carpet cleaning jobs all day Saturday, all day. Sunday, drive back Sunday evening. I did that for a year. Uh, just my brother and I, and that's how we got it started. Uh, it just kind of started out as like, hey, let's just earn some extra cash.
And then my brother was like, hey, dude, I think we're on to something here. Yeah. So, but now since you're building the wealth so you could support yourselves to do the business full time, right? That's what you're after that. I can, I can relate to that. Sweet. And so the idea for the business, where did that come from? Like it seems like that's a tangent from what you're doing, but yet not, right? Yeah, I'll be 100% honest with you, man. I was literally, I was in New Mexico.
I just got off work and I was on my phone and uh I was scrolling on Instagram. Have you ever seen those like satisfying videos? No joke. It was this guy who was like cleaning carpet and I watched it like 10 times and I was like, it's like this light bulb went off like boom, like, dude, you could do that. And I was like, yeah, I could do that. So I started watching more, watching more and I started youtube like, OK, how do you actually carp me clean?
Like what is, what are the steps? And then from there that's when I called my brother. I was like, hey, dude, my brother's name is Marcus, by the way, he's awesome. Uh So I called, I called my brother. I'm like, hey, dude, I think, um, I wanna start a carpet cleaning business and he was like, uh, all right, what was he doing during this time? Uh, so my brother, he's, uh, he's a driver. He has a CD L um, delivery guy kind of deal. Um, he can drive anything with wheels.
I always say that may not go straight but he can drive it, he can drive it. Ok. Got it. He can get it from point A to point B everybody watch out though. But, uh, yeah, he was like, hey man, you know, if you think you can do it, you know, give it a shot, you know. So, and then he said, but I want you to join me. Not really not at first. I kind of wanted to go out there and see what it was like. And then I said, hey man, after I started noticing like, oh, people actually want, want my services like, wow, you want, you want me to clear your carpet?
Ok. So then I said, hey man, um, sooner or later this thing is gonna take off and I'm gonna need some help. So you should just start learning how to do it now. And he's like, all right. And then it, it kind of took off and here we are, here you are. Here we are. Ok. And so you're basically full time this now. Yeah, I went full time in October and then, uh I brought my brother on full time in February owning and running a business has got its own challenges.
I know for sure. Um How are you figuring all that out? Because that's not something, it's kind of hard knocks or you have somebody that helps you with that or mentors you or? Um Yes, it is very challenging and there's a lot of things that you don't think about when you work for someone that, you know, I never had to worry about marketing or I never had to worry about accounting and tax and payroll. Yeah, payroll. I never had to worry about any of that stuff. I just wake up on Friday like we got paid now.
It's like, I don't know if I'm gonna get paid this week. Might not. It's your problem. Yeah. Like I might not get paid, but I gotta pay my brother. I gotta figure it out, you know, and it's like it's very challenging, but that was part of the reason I wanted to join the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce to kind of get around like-minded individuals um, at different levels of business. You know what I mean? Like, there are some people that have been in business for 30 years. There are some people that have been in business for five years.
There are some people that have been in business for five months. So, just talking to all those different individuals and being able to pick their brains and see what they've been through, what they, you know, what they have accomplished. I think that's the biggest part about joining the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, being able to meet those different people. And then on top of, I've met some awesome individuals outside of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce just doing some cleaning. Like, oh, I don't wanna, you know, a restaurant or, hey, if you ever need any help, you know, things like that.
And I think it's, I think it's pretty awesome. Yeah. So now you're probably thinking scalability, right? Maybe. And like, how are you going to grow this thing? Yeah. Uh, we're kind of trying to just, you know, grow at a decent pace. I definitely want to scale it, but I don't know how large I want to scale it yet, but we definitely want to scale it. Um, I would definitely like to have at least another van for my brother. So we can be in two different areas and cover more ground and I think that'll be, I think that's what we're working on next and I can appreciate that approach because sometimes, you know, growing too quickly is, uh, not exactly the right step for every business so easy does it?
Yeah. And I, I'll be honest, like half the time I'll be, I'm winging it just kind of trying to figure it out, you know, ask questions when I, you know, but the truth is that's how it all starts. For most people. Most people are winging it. They're learning as they go, they're making the mistakes and then, and they're falling forward. So you took the staff. What, what do you think is the most surprising thing about being a business owner? Um So I was just telling my wife this the other day, it seems like um as soon as I feel like, oh boy, here we go.
It's over. It's like the phone just starts ringing off the hook and then now it's back. It's such a roller coaster ride. It's like, man, the phone hasn't rung all week. We're not, we only did one job or two jobs and then like Wednesday or Thursday, it's like boo boo boo, boo boo boo boo. And I'm like, oh boy, here we go. So I think that's been like, just being able to kind of control my emotions and like, hey, man, you'll be all the light. Of course, the lack of consistency in that process really gets your anxiety up, doesn't it?
Yeah. And the big thing is like, I'm not so concerned about myself. I don't want to let my brother down, you know, he took this step with me you know, trusting me. And to me that's like the biggest, I don't want to break his trust and that right there we'll get you through. You'll be good. All right. Talk about how you balance all of this professional work with raising a family. Uh, you know, it's an everyday battle. It is. Um, my wife tells me all the time.
You don't know how to say no. And I don't, I don't even when I worked for the, I don't know, I don't know how to say no. Hey, Terry. You wanna work? Yep. And it gets me in trouble every time except when she says, hey, you want to do the dishes? And I say no, so she knows it can be done. I say, yeah, I say, yeah, and then I delegate it. That's right. You get over here. My son, his name is Taren Junior. Hey, son, check this out, man. Cool.
People do dishes. Well, good for you. If he's still buying that one that'll change. But yeah. No, it, it is an everyday battle. It's, uh, it gets rough sometimes, but I have my wife. She's awesome. She's very supportive. Um, she's never like told me no, I don't think you should do that. If I say, hey, honey, I think I wanna try give it a go see what happens. It doesn't work, come back to the drawing board or try something else, you know. So she's pretty awesome. Um She makes it all possible, to be honest with you, everything that we do, everything that the kids I have no, uh, dealing, I mean, I deal with my kids obviously but the people that they are and their, their little personalities and, you know, their manners and all that stuff.
My wife, she, she's, she has done all that and I, I have to give her all that credit. I'm just, I wasn't there for a lot of it. You know what I mean? I was deployed. I work a lot. Um, so my wife is a stay at home mom. So, well, you have a lot of years left. You have young family. So I am certain that, uh, you're going to be an important part of their life. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we're, you know, still trying to catch up from the time when I was in the navy, but it was, it was, well, I needed to make that sacrifice for us to be where we are now.
So, all right. So you're a business owner, which means you are a dreamer too. Um, let's dream a little bit. What's the future look like for you, the future for me. I'll be honest, uh, probably maybe 34 bans. Um, and just kind of being able to step back and spend, spend that time with my family, um, for me to be able to get out of the vans and carpet clean and make my brother operations manager and you know, where he can spend that time with his family as well and, you know, have a good team around me.
That would be, that's kind of where we're shooting for. You mentioned you have a sister, right? Are they gonna be part of this? Uh, my oldest sister, she's a nurse practitioner. She's awesome. Um, and then the sister and her, she lives in Dallas, Texas, but she keeps telling me I need to take the show on the road. So I don't, I don't know, I mean, you know, she could answer the phones from there and you know, all that good stuff for you. I hate you for saying that.
Blame me for it. Well, I love the fact that you have the vision and you know, where you want to go. It's the first step in getting there. So, yeah, thank you. Well, thank you, sir for joining us today. This has been a great conversation. I love hearing about it. Appreciate your service to our country and for all your work you're doing in the Gilbert community. Uh, being part of the chamber is fantastic. That's how I started my little businesses and I'm sure you're on the right path there, for sure.
Stay clear of this girl though and everything else should be fine. Well, I think she's all right. Absolutely. I appreciate you guys for having me on the show. It's truly an honor. I appreciate it. Well, we love having you here. We love learning about you and your journey and can't wait to see what you're going to accomplish in the future. Thank you. Thank you. So, another great episode. I'm sure you enjoy this one. I know I did. Um If you want more of these in your inbox, just join our tribe, subscribe and you'll get them right in.
We appreciate you listening. Have a good one guiding growth, conversations with community leaders. Ben, let me ask you a question. How do you see other community members being involved in this podcast? This is going to be a great opportunity for so many people in the community to have a chance to be heard if they want to tell their story or if they just want to be part of this journey with us and help sponsor it in a way that helps bring more people to the table with us.
So I think there's many opportunities at hand whether you want to again be on the show, reach out to us, let us know what your story is and how you think you could be part of it. We'd love to hear from you. Reach out. Let us know and we'll see if we can make that connection.
