Men At Work is a gathering for the purpose of encouragement, fellowship, and fun for Northstar men and their friends and co-workers happening Friday, March 3. To find out more click here.
The Men At Work Series is a way to promote the event and get to know each other at the same time. The first few spotlights will feature members of the Immeasurably More team.
Jim Rancourt and his wife Cynthia have been a part of Northstar almost from the beginning. The Rancourt’s have served the church literally in every way possible. They both serve in the children’s ministry and Jim is currently the Immeasurably More team leader. Amazingly, Jim recently finished building a building for his company so he had just gained the experience needed to serve the church in that role.
Jim is the Chief Scientific Officer of Polymer Solutions, Inc.(PSI), a company he started a few months before finishing a Ph. D. in Chemistry from Virginia Tech in 1997 . Jim s
tarted PSI in part because he and Cynthia wanted to raise their children in the NRV rather than having to relocate to one of the large urban environments where most Chemistry related jobs were located. As a bonus Jim hoped that he could create a company that would allow other Virginia Tech graduates to stay in the area as well. PSI is a polymer testing labetory, as Jim explained it, PSI’s work allows company’s products to “perform as expected where failure is not an option.” For a more technical explanation of what PSI does, click here.
Q. What is challenging about your role at PSI?
A. Dealing fairly and ethically with employees and customers. I feel a responsibility to my employees and their families in every decision that impacts PSI from healthcare coverage to long-term profitability. Because of the nature of our work our customers may be unaware of fair pricing so I take seriously not taking advantage of the situation.
Another challenging aspect is my role as an “expert witness” in litigation. My goal is to be technically honest in every case.
Q. How does being a follower of Jesus impact you in your work?
A. In so many ways being a Christian makes situations and decisions less difficult. In my heart I often know immediately what is the right thing to do in business whether that is temptation when traveling or the temptation to exaggerate to an employee or client. My faith puts helpful boundaries around so many areas that must be tempting to others. I also live with an acute understanding of stewardship, I feel the weight of using what has been given to me for His glory and the good of others whether that is knowledge, posessions, or financial blessing.
1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”