A LIFE MINISTER CHANGING BIOGRAPHIES

Featuring Gary Ivory, President and CEO of Youth Advocacy Programs

Gary Ivory is a leader who ministers through his life serving others, seeking not to change young people’s behaviors but their biographies. Led by his faith and lessons learned throughout his life, Ivory finds ways to impact people’s lives everywhere he goes. 

Coming from a background where poverty was a highlight, Ivory saw the hardships of life in different ways. Knowing what it is like to work for a meal to seeing three of his siblings be part of the penitentiary system. From an early age, he understood the different complications the youth faced personally, communally and even within the society as a whole. 

Even walking through the different battles that were presented to him, he was able to find solace in the Spring Hill Missionary Baptist church, where he was able not only to support himself and his faith but start a life of ministry that characterizes his lifestyle and core values. Part of his ministry consisted of being a chaplain in hospice care and in a maximum-security prison, tied to his desire to serve God by serving the people in some unconventional ways. 

In 1992 he started his career at Youth Advocacy Programs (YAP) after graduating from the Princeton Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity. Although YAP is not a faith-based organization, Ivory has learned to serve in his ministry through the work that he does. His belief that everyone benefits from the good future of the youth has led him to form partnerships and connections across the United States, Sierra Leone and Australia. Helping around 20,000 families a year, Ivory is a great impact for those who are facing the same challenges he did when he was younger. His life has been an example to those wanting to change their own lives and the ones who want to help others have a greater future. 

His position is not just about advocacy and influence, but of relationship building and the creation of better opportunities for the youth, their families and their communities.

AN ENTREPRENEUR WHO PUTS GOD AND FAMILY FIRST

Featuring J.B. Kellogg, Co-Founder, MadWire; Founder, Horse & Chariot

July 2024

J.B. Kellogg is a business leader, husband, and father of four who seeks to put his family and God first.  He pursues a desire for continuous growth as a believer, father, and husband. 

When J.B. was just 28, he co-founded Madwire with his dad in 2009.  As the co-CEO of Madwire, helped grow the company to 100MM+ in annual revenue and 500+ employees in under 10 years, with the odds against them with minimal capital. The mission of Madwire is to help small businesses grow, and their local communities glow. The work is done by enabling business leaders and entrepreneurs to manage and grow their brands from a singular platform called Marketing 360. They offer a suite of digital marketing tools, including website design, CRM, email marketing, and analytics. J.B. Kellogg has been instrumental in the growth and success of Madwire, helping businesses enhance their online presence and marketing efforts. 

J.B. Kellogg is also 3 times Top CEO (in USA) by Glassdoor (2016-2018); eight-time Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Company in America (2013-2020); twelve times Top 50 Family-Owned Company in Colorado (2011-2023); four-time Best Place to Work (in USA) by Glassdoor (2016-2020); and op 100 Private U.S. Tech Company by D.A. Davidson The Herd (2021). Although he has achieved different accomplishments throughout his career, he does not take all the credit and recognizes that it is because of the support of his team, his wife, and his family that he can stand where he is. More importantly, he gives the credit to God and His grace. 

As a Christian entrepreneur, J.B. seeks to share the lessons he has learned about life and leadership throughout his journey. Under the philosophy that a lesson learned should be a lesson shared, he enjoys sharing character-forming and soul-lifting Christian teachings of virtue via Horse & Chariot, a platform focused on educational and transformational teachings with motivational and inspirational information regarding how to live life and the impact you have on others as the fruit of being armed with a strong intellect in virtue.

J.B.’s work not only empowers small businesses and leaders to pursue their entrepreneurship journey through different tools and perspectives but also provides his journey and wisdom as examples to seek God and rely on the virtues we hold as believers, understanding that there are fights that will require faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. His work goes beyond the numbers, the marketing, and the networking as he finds his foundation in Christ as a believer, family man, and entrepreneur.