Alumni Highlights
May 2025 – Jake ’14 & Paige ’12 Gardner
Jake 鈥�14 and Paige 鈥�12 (Greaser) Gardner are the May Alumni Highlight!
Jake Gardner, a Jefferson County native, and his wife Paige, coming from Fairmont, West Virginia, met at 黑料吃瓜网University while serving as homecoming attendants for their classes in 2009.
Jake was an active member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, holding executive offices, while also working on campus at the Wellness Center and as a groundskeeper. Paige was an active member of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, also holding executive positions, served as a student ambassador with the Office of Admissions,, and played on the lacrosse team for three years, including the inaugural varsity season.
鈥淚 went to 黑料吃瓜网to find my wife,鈥� Jake jokingly said.
Having met in 2009 during homecoming, in a nostalgic move, Jake asked Paige to be his girlfriend at the 2011 homecoming football game. Then in 2014, right before his graduation, Jake proposed to Paige at Rumsey Monument in Shepherdstown, the site of their first date.
Paige points out that the motto at the time they attended 黑料吃瓜网was 鈥淓xpect the Unexpected,鈥� noting that their experiences at 黑料吃瓜网taught them to prepare for situations that are not anticipated, to be flexible, and to be ready to adapt to change. This has served them well in their entrepreneurial journey.
Jake and Paige are co-owners/operators of Country Roads Moving in Fairmont, West Virginia, a company they started in November 2017 as a part-time nights and weekends venture, only moving friends and family, while working full time corporate careers in their respective disciplines. After a while, they recognized the need to serve the greater North Central West Virginia region.
鈥淲e operate as a fully licensed and insured professional moving company equipped to handle local moves of any size,鈥� Jake and Paige said.
Their mission is to treat each customer as if they are moving their own friends and family. Over the course of eight years, they have grown from being the only movers, operating a pull-behind trailer from their home鈥檚 driveway, to having a staff of 14 and a fleet of five box trucks with a brick-and-mortar location in Fairmont.
Jake and Paige credit their family, friends, customers, and community for their success through ongoing support in growing a successful family business.
鈥淪hout out to Professor Michael Dixon for his unwavering support since my marketing courses in undergrad to the nomination for this alumni highlight,鈥� Jake said. 鈥淵our genuine passion for teaching and your students鈥� success is inspiring!鈥�
In 2023, Jake was named Fairmont Board of Realty鈥檚 鈥淎ffiliate of the Year,鈥� and in 2024, Country Roads Moving was named Best of Marion County鈥檚 鈥淏est in Customer Service,鈥� which was an all-business-type category. Most recently, the company was named Best of Morgantown鈥檚 鈥淏est Moving Company鈥� for 2025 and Jake was named a Marion County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador.
In addition to building their business, they have built their family.
鈥淲e welcomed our daughter, Jude, in May 2020 and our son, Howard, in September 2022,鈥� Paige said. 鈥淭hey keep us motivated and moving!鈥�
Community engagement and service is a value Jake and Paige hold dear. They strive to be active and positive contributors and supporters of the Fairmont community. They support efforts of several non-profit organizations, including the Disability Action Center, Union Mission, Blessings in the Basement, Christian Help, Honey Bags, and several more.
鈥淎 recent fundraiser we participated in was the 2024 Tygart Valley United Way鈥檚 inaugural Lip Sync Battle, where over $7,000 was raised and Jake won the People鈥檚 Choice Award,鈥� Paige said.
They are also members of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Morgantown Area Partnership, Harrison County Chamber of Commerce, and Wheeling Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Fairmont, Morgantown, Harrison, and Western Buckhannon Boards of Realty, Rotary Club of South Fairmont, BNI Network Chapter in Morgantown, and several other local groups.
Jake and Paige enjoy Earth Day tree planting with the Nature Conservancy and running in the half marathon in Canaan Valley.
鈥淲e love participating in these events with our kids, friends, and family and look forward to them every year,鈥� they said.
The family is active within their church, Walnut Grove, and recently joined the outreach, prayer pals, and welcoming committees there.
The 黑料吃瓜网University Alumni Association celebrates all of Jake and Paige鈥檚 great accomplishments. 黑料吃瓜网Students Succeed!
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FORMERLY KNOWN AS RAMS ACROSS AMERICA, a social media series featuring a new region of the United States each semester and highlighting alumni in each state. This program was replaced by ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS, as seen above, in November 2020. See alumni highlighted prior to November 2020 from across the U.S. in the map below.