Jeffrey Garland, Founder and CEO of Drover, wouldn't be the same man -- and Drover wouldn't be the same company - without his wife, Dr. Scarlett Garland, DNP. Since Jeff and Scarlett married in November 2015, Scarlett has dutifully supported Jeff's entrepreneurial spirit and initiative in founding Drover. In addition to being Jeff's #1 advocate and supporter, she leads an accomplished career as a Nurse Practitioner.
Scarlett was born in Memphis, TN, but grew up in Grassy, Missouri, a small town near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Growing up on a 100-acre farm, Scarlett always had a love for reading, spending time with animals, and helping her family and others. She also liked to swim and play baseball with her dad. From her childhood, she has many fond memories of hanging out and playing in the yard at the VA in Poplar Bluff, Missouri with her dad, an Army Veteran. She earned her Associate of Arts degree at Central Baptist College in Arkansas and her Associate in Nursing at Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Then, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Central Arkansas and finally, her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Tennessee.
Jeff and Scarlett both set out to look for love on Christian Mingle and connected with each other on the site in January, 2014. In the weeks after they were matched, they talked on the phone and sent letters . After 6 weeks of Jeff asking Scarlett out without success, she agreed to meet up with him in North Little Rock, Arkansas at a Cracker Barrel, mainly because she had run out of excuses and he was so darn persistent! Jeff left his house in Oklahoma at 3 am in order to meet Scarlett for breakfast at 8 am. Though the date went well, they were unsure about how their relationship would develop given the geographic distance between them, with Jeff living in Oklahoma/Tennessee, and Scarlett in Arkansas. According to Jeff's version of the story, "we played checkers and I asked her to butter my biscuit and the rest is history"
Despite the distance, Jeff and Scarlett made it work by taking consistent road trips to see each other. Jeff started to know that Scarlett was the one when, during her visits to the farm, not only was she gorgeous but she could also carry her weight on the farm. On January 20, 2015, Jeff proposed to Scarlett on a walk through the woods on Jeff's family farm.
Fast forwarding to today, we are approaching Jeff and Scarlett's one-year wedding anniversary. Scarlett has tirelessly supported Jeff both on the farm and with Drover, all while building her career as a primary care doctor.
Here is a look at Mrs. Drover's daily schedule:
3 am - Jeff's mental alarm goes off and he wakes up to start working on Drover... Scarlett wakes up briefly too and then goes back to sleep.
6:30 am - Scarlett wakes up and starts to get ready for work
8 am - 5 pm - Scarlett works at the medical clinic
6 pm - She cooks dinner and Jeff and Scarlett share a meal
8 pm - Scarlett helps Jeff with Drover tasks, including developing flyers and graphics
9 pm - Jeff and Scarlett relax and watch a Netflix original show
10 pm - Scarlett goes to bed to get rested for the next day!
As anyone can see, Scarlett does an incredible job of managing her own career, taking care of their household, supporting Jeff with running Drover, and making time for their relationship.
The team here at Drover is very happy to know Scarlett, and we love seeing the way she makes Jeff a better man.
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Patrizio Murdocca is Chief Web Developer at Drover Rideshare, a student at Vanderbilt University, and President of Interfaced Ministries.
