Rod's 30-Year Mission: Building a Business That Funds the Kingdom

Rod started Advanced Problem Solutions with a radical idea: What if a business could fund missionaries without burning them out on the support-raising circuit? Thirty years later, he's proven it works—but not without surviving trials that would have crushed most people.

He lost his photographic memory when a legally blind driver hit him at 50 mph. He buried his newborn son. He watched his wife die of brain cancer after she signed him up on eHarmony and prayed for his next wife. And through it all, he kept one conviction: This is God's business, not mine.

The Beginning: Racecoat and a Radical Vision

Rod started in an unexpected place—ceramic coating NASCAR engine parts. His company, originally called Racecoat, served racing teams in the winter when his other work slowed down. But the real mission was always bigger than pistons and exhaust manifolds.

"I thought God was calling me to be a missionary, but I didn't like how we support our missionaries," Rod says. "Running around raising support wears them out before they even get to the field. Then we bring them back four years later and wear them out again."

So Rod and his late wife decided to build a self-funded mission model. They'd grow a business, generate profit, and support missionaries directly—no burnout, no fragmented accountability, no wasted time.

"I think money in my hands is better than in the hands of people like Bill Gates. It's my responsibility as a Christian businessman to be as successful as I can."

The Crash That Changed Everything

One December, Rod was unloading a Model T when a car slammed into him. The impact totaled the Cadillac. Rod survived, but his photographic memory didn't.

"I was '50 First Dates' for about six months," he says. "I used to be fairly smart. Now I'm not so smart and don't remember everything. But I'm still here."

Then came another blow: his newborn son was diagnosed with a heart defect. Rod called all his NASCAR clients and told them he couldn't coat their parts that winter. His son passed away. But restaurant service and plumbing work exploded—and Rod never missed the income from Racecoat.

A friend told him, "Racecoat doesn't fit what you do. You're always solving everybody's advanced problems." So Rod rebranded. Advanced Problem Solutions was born.

Bankruptcy or Faithfulness: Rod Chose Faithfulness

After the accident, jobs went bad. Rod owed everybody. He went to every creditor and made a promise: "If you don't sue me, I'll pay you back. If you sue me, I'll have to declare bankruptcy."

Nobody sued him. It took ten years and 80-90 hour weeks, but Rod paid every dollar.

"I watched my dad do the same thing," Rod says. "He was the fifth-largest White Farm implement dealer in the United States. The company declared bankruptcy. He lost everything—no retirement, sold everything but one vehicle and the house. Then he worked another 25 years paying people back."

Rod learned the principle young: Keep your word. Trust God. Don't quit.

"It's literally God's business. Every breath we take is given to us by Him. We cannot do anything without Him."

One Christmas, One Check, One Divine Provision

Rod remembers a Christmas when the IRS bill came due. His wife called: "We're out of business."

Rod said, "It's God's business. We'll see what He does."

The mail came. Inside was a check—not to the penny, but just enough to pay the IRS bill and keep going.

"There have been a lot of moments like that," Rod says. "Divine intervention is the only reason I'm still in business."

Loss, Eharmony, and a New Chapter

Rod's wife was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Before she died, she signed Rod up on eHarmony and prayed for his next wife. Three months later, she passed away. A year later, Rod met his new wife from Ohio.

She moved to Iowa, didn't know anyone, and Rod was working long hours again. He prayed, "God, if You have something else for me, let me know."

Two weeks later, a colleague asked, "Would you look good in a black van too?" Rod sold part of his customer list, worked for another company for a year, then partnered 50-50 with his boss when corruption forced them both out.

Thirteen years later, Advanced Problem Solutions has doubled revenue every year for the last four years.

Growing Through Acquisition: A Succession Crisis in the Trades

The trades face a crisis. Last year, 72% of the industry was retirement age. For every nine who leave, only two come in.

Rod saw the gap. APS bought one company and is negotiating to buy another. "A few people haven't planned well for succession," Rod says. "We're helping fill that gap."

But rapid growth has its challenges. "We grew quickly and didn't get all our systems in place," Rod admits. "This is the year to optimize."

Leading with Faith in a Dark Field

Rod calls the trades "a dark field." Not many Christians own businesses in plumbing and HVAC. So Rod joined the Unconventional Business Network (UBN), a Christian organization that equips owners with biblical business principles.

"It's been very good," Rod says. "They have resources for starting Bible studies at work, meeting with other believers, and getting godly counsel."

His business partner isn't a believer—but just attended a UBN convention in Kansas City. "I don't force my faith on anyone," Rod says. "But everybody knows what APS stands for and where we come from."

"When we hire a new employee, I try to work with them on a job for a day. They're going to hear what APS stands for, what I stand for, and they're going to hear a clear gospel presentation. Right away."

Biblical Principles Work—Believer or Not

Rod recently lost $320,000 to fraud. His response? "It's not my money. It's God's money. I try to be responsible for it, but it's His."

A few years earlier, that loss would have destroyed the business. But God's timing is always right.

"If you use biblical principles, your life will be better—believer or not," Rod says. "But the days I don't read my Bible, the day goes worse. When I take that time, God brings things to mind that help me respond the way I should."

Advice for the Next Generation of Christian Business Leaders

Rod offers three pieces of counsel:

First, serve somewhere. Join a church board. Go on a mission trip. Visit a third-world country. "It will change your perspective on people, money, time, and what you think is important."

Second, find a mentor. Find someone far more successful than you and learn from them. If they're not a believer, sift everything they say through Scripture.

Third, read. Read books about successful people. "A lot of times they're using biblical principles even if they don't spell it out. If you're going to be successful long-term, you have to use biblical principles."

Rod also recommends Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud. "It really changed the way I look at how I spend my time. We only have so much time, and God wants us to spend it wisely."

Money in the Right Hands

Rod doesn't apologize for success. He sees it as stewardship.

"I think as a Christian businessman, it's my responsibility to be as successful as I can," he says. "Money in my hands is better than in the hands of people who don't have a biblical worldview."

Advanced Problem Solutions sponsors UBN events and invites customers, wholesalers, and suppliers—believers and non-believers alike. At the last event, some suppliers who weren't Christians asked how they could get involved. Now they're exploring sponsorship.

"God gave me the strength. It's not about me. It's all about Him."

The Funeral That Became a Gospel Presentation

When Rod's first wife died, her funeral filled the Faith Baptist Bible College auditorium. People stood in the hallways. Over 200 of Rod's customers attended—and every one of them heard a clear gospel presentation.

"You don't waste those opportunities," Rod says. "I don't know why God allows some things, but it's all in His plan. It's not about us. It's all about Him."

Still on Mission

Thirty years in, Rod hasn't lost sight of the original vision. Advanced Problem Solutions funds missionaries. It hires people who need a second chance. It promotes Christian businesses and suppliers. And it doubles revenue year after year—not for wealth, but for kingdom impact.

"I'm just thankful to be here and to be used by God," Rod says. "To be entrusted to run this business for Him."

Rod's story isn't about success formulas or ten-step plans. It's about faithfulness when the bottom falls out. It's about trusting God when the IRS bill is due and the mail hasn't come yet. It's about saying, "It's not my business—it's Yours."

And then watching God show up. Every single time.