Paul van Gorkom
Regional Director for SE Chapter
History of the Southeast Chapter – Two significant event, orchestrated by God, lead to the formation of the Southeast Chapter. First, was Paul van Gorkom’s decision to retire in South Carolina to be closer to family and grandchildren. The second was meeting Rodney Miller and his co-star, Jann Carl.
Paul and his wife, Joanie, made the decision to retire to South Carolina in 2020 as first one son and then another moved to South Carolina with their families. Paul informed the Board of this decision that same year.
The Board of GoServ Global had been looking for a way to become known nationwide, which was not an easy task. In 2023, God answered that prayer as He introduced us to Rodney Miller and Jann Carl, co-stars of the popular TV show, Small Town Big Deal, which is a syndicated TV show on over 300 stations nationwide, with 500,000 weekly Viewers.
The way we met Rodney and Jann is an incredible story, that we now know was God ordained. One of the ways GoServ Global promotes it’s mission is to attend various agricultural trade shows to display the Safe T Home®, a modified grain bin home, used for sustainable housing in developing countries.
For several years, we were on a waiting list for booth space at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. In December of 2022, we received a call from this show saying that we were still way down on the list, but that they could not get in contact with all the organizations ahead of us on the waiting list. So, we were offered a space and gladly accepted.
The show was held in February of 2023. Rodney grew up on a farm and to this day has a keen interest in farming. So, as God planned, Rodney and Jann decided to attend this show where Rodney was immediately drawn to the Safe T Home® within the GoServ Global display booth. There he met Terry Baxter, co-founder of GoServ Global, and the relationship began and grew rapidly.
Rodney fell in love with GoServ Global and the work that is done within the United States and globally. He has been a very valuable addition to the GoServ Global family. Be sure to check out his show at www.smalltownbigdeal.com, where you will also see commercials about GoServ Global.
In the fall of 2023, the GoServ Global Board Chairman, knowing of Paul’s upcoming retirement in 2024, approached Paul with the concept of a Southeast chapter. After further discussions that included Rodney Miller, the Board of GoServ Global approved this initiative. With the anticipated success of the Southeast Chapter, we are hopeful to take this initiative to other parts of the country.
