Before he ever put on a Red Vest, Jack Preston spent twenty-four years serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. He led soldiers at home and abroad, represented the United States at NATO working group conferences in Europe and Asia, and even helped write military doctrine used by two nations. Along the way, he earned a BS in Biology/Chemistry and an MBA in Management, Innovation and Change, credentials that prepared him for many roles – but not necessarily for life on a concrete sales floor. After retirement, Jack sampled civilian careers in insurance, sales, warehousing, and higher education, eventually discovering that he loved being “a professional student” nearly as much as he loved teaching and mentoring others. A seasonal job in a local plant nursery and a whole-house remodel first drew him into Lowes. What began as frequent supply runs and joking suggestions that he needed his own Red Vest turned into a second career he never planned but now treasures.

From the Returns Desk to the Garden Center, Jack found endless material in the stories coworkers and customers told. Off The Streets & Out of Trouble! is his way of honoring them and staying just busy enough to keep himself, as he likes to say, off the streets and out of trouble. Today he works part-time, explores teaching as an adjunct, and dreams of gathering Red Vest stories from other stores into future books, too.