Homebuyer Highlights: Among Josh Hendryx’s Life Pursuits, Serving Veterans Is at the Top
The idea of “serving” has been central in Josh Hendryx’s life, first during his time in the 75th Ranger Regiment, a part of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, and later as a successful commercial builder and dedicated advocate for veterans. It ultimately led Josh from Illinois to Everly at Wellen Park, where he, along with his wife, Ashley, and their four sons, are creating a Lee Wetherington Home, located nearby the Englewood barndominium currently in development for the production team of Operation Healing Heroes – one of three nonprofits he oversees – now entering its 10th season on the Discovery Channel. Arguably, for Josh, building means more than structures but rather growth for himself and the veterans and first responders he’s met along the way.
Josh grew up in a lower-income family. As a young child, while his father, a traveling fastener and hardware salesman, was away, he’d stay with his grandmother and grandfather, who was raised during the Great Depression, a veteran, and welder at a steel mill in Sterling, IL.
“A lot of who I was developed in those formative years by being under their roof and under their guidance,” said Josh, the President & CEO of Phoenix Builders in Chicago. “So that’s what instilled in me that sense of patriotism and the desire to serve.”
Josh enlisted in the military through a split-option program at age 17, training at Fort Benning. The day after his high school graduation party, he returned to Georgia, where the Ranger Training Brigade and Third Ranger Battalion are based. To this day, Josh continues to view the military as the greatest social melting pot that exists – but observing the Rangers was truly inspiring.
“They held themselves to a different standard. … I had admiration for that,” said Josh, who ultimately pursued an Option 40 contract. “And I continue to do that through my career now.
“You know, when you come from an environment where everything is extremely fast-paced and decisions are made of the gravest level. … Taking that high level of intensity, leadership and emotional intelligence to navigate yourself through the struggles and the blessings and the celebrations, knowing how to manage yourself through that in your life was something that I have a lot of gratitude towards my military career for providing me with that skillset – also from a social aspect.”
But the most meaningful part of Josh’s post-military journey has been his support for the brothers and sisters who served to his right and left. Roughly 22 veterans die each day nationwide, and more servicemembers from the special operations community are lost to suicide than in combat. After Josh’s eight-year tenure within JSOC, he had his own wounds to heal, specifically with post-traumatic stress disorder, and has been on a mission to help warriors address and manage their mental and emotional challenges.
“It doesn’t make you abnormal. It doesn’t mean you aren’t doing your job or can’t be successful,” said Josh. “What it means is you have to reach into your bag, into your arsenal, and use the tools to address those things so that you can improve and be productive and healthy for yourself and those that count on you in the rest of society.
“That’s what drives me to try and continue to help through these nonprofits – to show them a path, and every path is different.”
These programs provide everything from confidence courses to equine therapy, counseling, fly tying, and medical treatments with a Chicago-based surgeon who administers stellate ganglion blocks.
Community and healing are the cornerstone of Josh’s three nonprofits. The Sparta Project, which focuses on veterans and first responders who suffer from PTSD, facilitates weeklong cohorts across the country. Take a Vet Fishing pairs guides with veterans, includes donated gifts, a meal, a flag ceremony to honor the fallen, and is typically run out of locations like Hubbard’s Marina in Madeira Beach – and it’s simply a way to say, “thank you.” Operation Healing Heroes, the only 52-episode show on the Discovery Channel not owned by Warner Bros., started as a way to share WWII veterans’ stories and acted as a therapeutic outlet for them. It’s since branched out to cover conflicts like the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Gulf War, and the Vietnam War.
Now Josh, alongside Ashley, whom he met 20 years ago and credits with his successes, is excited for what’s ahead with their move to Wellen Park.
“Yes, I’m a warrior – but I’m a warrior for God in my faith,” said Josh, who is opening an office for Phoenix Builders in Sarasota. “One of the things that we are extremely excited about in moving to Florida, in that area, is it seems to be so much more accepted. … It’s very inspiring.”
