American Faces No. 95
So there’s this guy out there named Abe. No, not Abe Lincoln, but Abe McMahan. My son Isaac works for Abe at his businesses Harvestores and Northarvest Prep in Maple Plain and Bloomington, MN respectively. Over the past couple years I have heard good things about Abe from a few different people, so I decided now was a good time to meet him face to face. I had heard about his heart for people, his business and in mentoring.
When I walked through the doors of his business I knew he was the real deal. I met a man I quickly knew was not just someone focused on the growth of his Amazon fulfillment company; I saw a man with determination and a sparkle in his eye as he talked about the people who work for him, the opportunity to share life on a day to day basis, and the desire to be just a little better tomorrow. He lives and breathes this in his life. It’s not just lip-service.
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t is the writing on the whiteboard that he and others read and work at daily. It is the boots on the ground attitude as he works alongside his faithful crew.
It is in his daily times of reflection as Bible verses are shared and the meaning of that verse is reflected upon and what its real world application could be. Abe isn’t the only one who shares. He asks his employees to lead as well. His heart is to develop others to be effective leaders; to not just accept where they’re at or where they’ve been.
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His early life was a bit rough. His focus began to take shape when he attended West Point for a time and his True North was found when he found Christ. His purpose began to unfold and his lifelong drive to do his best led him to a career in operations and logistics for large companies. That career was the foundation to what would become Harvestores.
I would be remiss if I did mention another passion in the heart of Abe McMahan: Marked Men for Christ. This organization helps rebuild a man to be all he is called to be, to work through the hurts, pains and hangups men struggle with, to help them find freedom and to be all they can be for their families. Abe found out how to be a better man, husband, father and leader through Marked Men for Christ. He’s now helping lead others through that ministry that he became a part of over a decade ago. So what does all this have to do with the story? Maybe to just state to ourselves how complex our lives are, lives built on layers of our past that make up who we are. The good, the bad and yes the ugly. But we are not stuck as a product of our past. Abe desires a hope filled future for others. He does that by pouring into the lives of those around him. I saw that when I visited him to do this story and I hear it in my son’s words when he speaks about Abe. He also does that by being a very giving man with all that he has been blessed with. Abe McMahan is a world changer and a Difference Maker.
I’m closing this by encouraging us all to live with hands open rather than clutching what we own or what owns us too tightly. Change someone's world! You might just change your own.
Photos and story by: Nielsen Studios
Editing by: Cristine Nielsen