For Chad Skaggs, a 2007 Herrin High School graduate, success has been built through continuous relationships and deep community ties that began in the school hallways and have strengthened over time.

"Most of my business really does stem from Herrin," Skaggs explains. "We do most of our business in Herrin. It just comes from knowing people, having positive experiences with them, and doing good work."

As the owner of three thriving companies—Lawn-N-Order, Custom Power Wash Service (CPS), and Skaggs Holiday Lighting—Skaggs has created a business model that capitalizes on the connections he forged during his school years and has nurtured as an adult.

Skaggs' educational journey took him from Herrin High School to John A. Logan College for two years, followed by two more years at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he earned a degree in broadcast journalism. After graduating, he faced a pivotal decision: pursue a career that would likely require relocation or build something in the community he called home.

"I realized I wanted to stay local, but I did not want to do local journalism," Skaggs recalls. His solution was entrepreneurship, launching his first two businesses in 2009.

Skaggs came naturally to his understanding of the Herrin school community. His mother, Pamela Skaggs, was a fifth-grade teacher in the district, giving him an insider's perspective on school relationships. His father, Steve, and brother, Phillip, are both carpenters, providing early exposure to skilled trades and entrepreneurship.

"My mom being in the school system was always cool for me because everyone knew my mom, so that was just always a plus to me as a kid," Skaggs says. "I think my experience throughout my time at the Herrin school district was maybe extra positive just because of who my mom was, and she was just a great woman and a great teacher."

Today, Skaggs' connection to the Herrin schools continues through his own family. He and his wife, Tabatha, have three children: Emery, a 16-year-old sophomore at Herrin High School; Ezra, 11; and Eli, 2. With his children actively involved in school activities and sports, Skaggs finds himself regularly back in the school environment—now as a parent and local businessman.

"I'm at the school all the time because my daughter's in so many activities and sports, and then so is my son," Skaggs notes. "I see teachers and interact with them on a personal level now, far more than I did as a student, because the dynamic has changed within our relationship."

This evolution of relationships represents what Skaggs values most about remaining in his hometown community. The teachers and administrators who once saw him as a student now recognize him as a successful entrepreneur and parent.

"It's really better now as an adult than it was as a kid because I didn't realize what was really happening back then," Skaggs reflects. "That was me forging these relationships with people that are still going 18 years later. I've spent more time as an adult with these people than I ever did as a student."

Unlike those who leave and return years later to be viewed as the same person they were in high school, Skaggs appreciates how his community has witnessed his growth firsthand. "I didn't come back 15 years later because I moved away. It's like, 'Oh, no, you've actually evolved, and we've kind of seen it firsthand.'"

This continuity of relationships has proven invaluable for his businesses. Skaggs actively maintains these connections through community involvement, including advertising through the school district.

His success as an entrepreneur has been built on a foundation of networking that began in school hallways, developed through family connections, and continues to grow as he raises his own family in the same supportive environment. For Skaggs, Herrin isn't just where he grew up—it's where he continues to grow, both personally and professionally.

"Nothing but good things," Skaggs says of his Herrin experience—a simple phrase that encapsulates his journey from student to businessman in a community that has watched him succeed every step of the way.