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| Troy McCracken remembers his mom was always there for him and his
brothers while they were growing up. And he credits those memories and his
mother's constant devotion with helping make him into the successful
businessman he is today. McCracken, 38, with his brother, Trent McCracken, 35, own Spectrum Inc., a communications management company based in Mason that Troy started in 1999. Today, the company has over 30 employees and annual sales of $20 million |
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THE ENQUIRER/LEIGH PATTON |
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| The brothers, who both are well above 6 feet tall and were both college basketball players, said they expect revenues to grow to $30 million or more this year. | Troy (left) and Trent McCracken, attribute their business and personal success to their mother Maxine. The sons own Spectrum Inc., a communications management company | ||
| Robust growth in the industry, combined with their diligent management
philosophy and attentive customer service, has brought their company great
success, they said. But both men attribute their personal success largely to one woman, their mother, Maxine McCracken. Their father left the family when the boys, including older brother, Todd, were 8, 6, and 2. "She was both a mom and a dad," said Troy of his years growing up in Springfield. "Her influence has been phenomenal." "The reflection of Troy's and my success is mom," Trent said. |
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| The men said their admiration for their mom started when they watched
her work full time as a surgical technician at a nearby hospital and then
come home and take care of her three active sons. She encouraged their interests in sports, which ultimately led to all three of the boys playing college basketball on full scholarships. Troy played for the University of Dayton, where he graduated in 1990. Trent played for and graduated from Cumberland University in Tennessee in 1995. Without the scholarships, attending college would have been difficult or even impossible, Troy said. |
 THE ENQUIRER/LEIGH PATTON |
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| He said money was tight for the family. | Trent McCracken works with executive assistant Celeste Larkins at Spectrum. Trent and his brother Troy own a company that has over 30 employees |
| "I tell everyone we weren't just poor, we were 'po','" Troy said. "We
couldn't even afford the O and the R." But, he said, "She always managed to come up with the money for basketball camps. I don't know where she got it, but she did." Maxine said she doesn't think her actions were heroic. She was just doing whatever it took to keep her sons on the right track. "Everybody would tell me, 'You do too much,'" Maxine said. "I would just tell them you do what you have to do." COMPANY HELPS, LIKE SHE DID Troy said he started the company to provide better service to business customers of the large communications companies, such as AT&T and Sprint, whose executives expressed frustration with the service they were getting. He learned the industry after working in sales with Cincinnati Bell in the 1990s before deciding that a business that focused on simplifying and servicing business customers' communications needs would be well received. Spectrum manages customers' phone and communications equipment and contracts so that even with multiple carriers for land-based or wireless communication, the customers deal with Spectrum for service and management on all of them. Trent joined Troy in 2000 and specializes in the company's information technology systems. He has a background in computer engineering with large technology companies. Spectrum's client list includes national corporations such as Baker Concrete Construction, Cornerstone Brands and California Pizza Kitchen, Troy said. But when they were growing up, Maxine said there were days when she doubted things were going to work out. All three of the boys were good students and athletes, but Trent went through an "ornery stage" during part of his teen years that gave her a few extra gray hairs, she said laughing. "You always feel that you should have done something more," she said. Maxine did have some help, however, from her family members and from mentors in the boys' lives, such as basketball coach Steve Keller, who coached Todd and Troy at Greenon High School in Enon, which is near Springfield. "She was a strong single parent," said Keller, who is now retired from teaching. "She really loved her kids and wanted them to succeed." Keller helped Maxine identify the best basketball camps to get the boys noticed by college recruiters. He also made flyers that he mailed to colleges to advance their chances of scholarship offers. "I was glad to help them," Keller said. "As a coach you want to see your kids get an education. "Troy was smart and analytical, and he had a good work ethic," he said. "Great things can happen if you work hard." BUILDING CAREERS, BUILDING LIVES Although her sons' business success gives Maxine reason to be proud, she said she is even more proud of the good fathers and husbands they have become. "They are also very spiritual and give a lot back to the community," she said. "I think I'm very lucky. They're very considerate of me. Although they have their own wives and families now, I always feel included." Maxine moved into a new home her sons built for her near their own homes in the Maineville area. "The grandkids love her and want to see her more often," Trent said. "So we brought her closer to us." Troy and Trent credit their mom with giving them the tools to be successful as husbands and fathers as well as in their business careers, they said. "She taught us how to treat people," Troy said. "She was our role model." |
