Hi, I'm Janlyn
WHO I AM
Wife, mother, and business owner are just a few titles that describe me. Passionate, focused and committed are powerful words that also describe who I am.
I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, was adopted as an infant and was raised in Northeast Texas. I attended Stephen F. Austin State University where it took several years and A LOT of hard work to earn my degree, making me the first in my family to finish college. My precious little grandmother once told me I needed not to worry so much about finishing college but to find a nice boy to take care of me. While I certainly did what she said and married the most wonderful man out there, her innocent comment was the challenge which ignited a blazing fire deep inside my soul and burns to this day.
My husband is from Houston, is very laid back and great with numbers. I tend to be creative and driven (that fire thing) - which makes us a perfect compliment to one another. We have been married for almost 21 years and have a daughter who is a senior in high school.
In 2004, my career brought our family to Kansas. We have been enchanted with its beauty and impressed with its people ever since. We are only the third family to live in our 100-year-old home. My family works hard to honor the traditions and values of our community and our state.
A THRIVING CAREER
From my very first job at a local Dime Store to juggling a heavy college schedule along with working as a Lifeguard, Swimming Instructor, Waitress and a Radio Announcer all while a full time student demonstrates, I am no stranger to hard work. I think God created us all to be hard workers.
My career has included significant advertising experience, speechwriting, transit operations oversight, and a key position prior to coming to Topeka, leading the marketing, communication and van operations divisions for a major transit agency in the Pacific Northwest. My husband and I spent five years in this region. However, with the birth of our daughter we recognized the importance of living and raising a family in an area which offered support for our spiritual values. This is why we chose Topeka.
After eight years as CEO of Topeka Metro, my husband and I decided to open Black Label Transportation Group. With humble beginnings of one black car, our commitment was to provide the kind of service you could brag about to anyone. That meant no strip clubs, party vehicles with poles or bachelor and or bachelorette parties.
We believe a business that acknowledges and works to promote pornography, prostitution and drugs is not a good choice for any community. It was a bold move to draw the line against this kind of service, but since that decision we have significantly grown our business and established incredible partnerships with companies in and around the region and state.
Prior to the shutdown of Kansas, we, like so many other hard working business owners, were thriving with as many as 16 contract chauffeurs and countless customers. But like so many, our business has been knocked to the ground by the media who told us we were all going to die and refused to report recovered cases. Instead they added to the growing numbers inciting more and more fear. And, then there was the government who shut down the entire state and didn't seen even the most essential service as a necessity. Instead they allowed lotto distributers and liquor stores to stay open instead of agricultural businesses. There was no chemo, no surgeries, and no work, no day care, no school, no business, no nothing. This has caused a major financial impact on the livelihoods of faithful workers and fellow business owners. So many families have suffered and I think we could've done better.