Owner, FOX Engineering
by Kensie Westerfield
Jennifer Fox recognizes Ravenswood as the place she grew up and continues to grow today. It was there that she got her start—not as the veterinarian she once dreamed of being but as an engineer. “I wanted to be a veterinarian like most little girls, but allergies nixed that. I always loved drawing. Not just pictures, but I would draw plans for barns, dog houses, rabbit hutches, et cetera. My dad actually built a rabbit hutch I drew up. He was about as good a carpenter as I was an architect, but the rabbit didn’t complain.”
Fox was influenced by her parents in many ways. “While I do have the strange analytical mind of my father, I try to exhibit the grace and warmth of my mother.” It might be that analytical mind that allowed Fox to follow in her father’s footsteps. “My father is an engineer, but I don’t think I had too many conversations with him about my career path until it came time for college.”
Aside from her parents, Fox credits many of the people she has met along the way with teaching and helping her. There are a couple of people that she credits with helping to turn her into a successful engineer. “There have been many people at different times in my life, but I certainly credit Joe Darnell who was my supervisor while I worked at the state division of transportation for turning me from a graduate of engineering into an engineer.”
Fox started FOX Engineering in 2001, shortly after the birth of her second son, in a spare bedroom of her house. FOX has grown quickly over the years. “FOX Engineering is not just me. It is a company made up of nearly 60 people that dedicate their daily time so their families can thrive. There is no bigger motivator than knowing that these families, including mine, need all of us to do our job.”
FOX is located in Ripley with satellite offices in Clarksburg and Fredrick, MD. In addition to being an engineering company, FOX also has a land surveying division, a guardrail installation division and a natural resource division.
As FOX has grown into a successful engineering firm, there have been a few bumps along the way. “My greatest success is the many failures that I have experienced and will continue to experience. I have learned more from doing things the wrong way than I ever have from doing them without error.”
Fox also finds a way to keep her family close to her as she grows her company. “Trying to plan for the future expansion, I purchased a 100-year-old building in very poor condition but located in the heart of the historic business district of Ripley. The building is ironically known as Carson’s Corner after the original owner, A.M. Carson’s Company Store. I kept the name because my oldest son (then two years old) is named Carson. The fallout from this decision is that my younger son, Gavin, wants to know where ‘his’ building is!”
Her family was also what she selected to bring as her favorite thing. “I would have brought my boys (Carson, eight, and Gavin, seven) with me if I could. Family is number one. That is how I prioritize my life. It is one thing that has helped me succeed. I don’t sweat the small stuff and I know what is really important. My favorite thing is a home-made wooden sign with the word ‘FAMILY’ carved into it. Like this sign, juggling a family and owning a business can be awkward and hard to handle but the things most worthwhile are the most difficult.”
Fox is extremely active with ACEC (American Council of Engineering Companies), serving as a board member since 2005, and CAWV (Contractors of West Virginia). She supports Habitat for Humanity in Jackson County and is a board member for the Jackson County Development Authority.
