Glen Oaks Community College

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Alumni Testimonials

Ben Brookhart

Athletic Injuries Don’t Sideline Ben Brookhart — But Instead open Opportunities for a Successful Business Career

“Education is life changing!”

Ben Brookhart’s life has swirled into a Category 5 Success Hurricane: changing his industry and blowing away his competition as the Chief Revenue Officer at Skyline Smart Home.

Some of those first breezes began to blow at Glen Oaks Community College, from which he graduated in 1997 with his associate degree in business.

A second-team all-state baseball player in Fort Wayne, Ind. where he attended high school, Brookhart was recruited to Glen Oaks by baseball coach Joel Mishler, who became a mentor and lifelong friend.

When he chose Glen Oaks, it was close to home … yet far enough from home.

Brookhart loved his psychology and astronomy classes, as well as hanging out on the Concourse, playing ping-pong and developing friendships.

“It was a great place to play sports and build lifelong relationships” he said. “It was the perfect size for someone not looking for a huge school but wanting to get a great education and have fun.”

As a Viking, Brookhart honed his baseball and academic skills to perform his best on the team. Between his freshman and sophomore years, he also improved his physical stamina through joining the Army National Guard, graduating #1 in his class.

A shoulder injury during a game in his sophomore year, however, changed the course of his life – putting Division I and Major League Baseball out of his reach.

But Brookhart had salesmanship skills: in one day he had sold his entire portion of advertising for the team’s spring training trip to Arizona, then negotiated with his teammates to sell all their advertising too. He realized how much he enjoyed talking with people and providing them something of value.

As he considered how to re-focus his future after graduation, a relative invited him to move to North Carolina, where he ultimately took a job at Westec Home Security and grew his income to six figures.

Over the next two decades, he founded Presidential Security Inc., Select Security Services Inc., Power Home Technologies and Power Home Solar.

He chronicles his journey in “Success Hurricane: How to Achieve Success at a Category 5 Level!,” available on Amazon.

Currently, Brookhart serves as the Chief Revenue Officer for Skyline Smart Home, which offers residential security systems and solar energy systems. His job entails bringing in revenue through the growth of business.

“I love what I do” he said. “The culture is all about developing people into leaders. The more leaders we have, the more the company can grow.”

The 500-employee company has a presence in 38 states and is looking to expand into Michigan.

Brookhart’s family members – wife of 21 years Meredith, and their five children  (pictured below) – remain his biggest supporters and the reason he continues to push forward to achieve more. They love traveling, hunting, and are fans of the Hoosiers, Colts, and Cubs.