“Where did the name Rebel Services come from?” A widespread assumption is that the name came from Tommy James’ love of Ole Miss. Although Ole Miss may have influenced Tommy in his agreement to the name Rebel Services, founder and owner Margie James is the true inspiration.
Women in aviation are uncommon–they make up less than 10 percent of the workforce. Women in aviation repair and mechanics are rarer–only about six percent of repair technicians are women. So, when Margie James broke into the aviation industry, she often heard, “Aren’t you a rebel?” for being a woman in a predominantly men’s world. And thus, the name Rebel Services was born.
Margie's rebel is a woman who was taught from a young age that she had to work for what she wanted. Raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi, by her mom and second dad, whom she lovingly calls “Waynee-Pooh”, Margie’s parents were blue-collar workers raising four children. Things like gymnastics lessons were simply unaffordable. So when Margie decided to become a cheerleader, she taught herself tumbling on her cousin’s trampoline and made the team! But that victory didn’t come without a hard lesson. The following year, Margie was so sure she’d make the team again she didn’t practice as hard, and, to her devastation and humiliation, she didn’t make the team in eighth grade.
In true Margie fashion, she didn’t let this failure keep her down. Instead, with encouragement from her sister, Margie tried out for the dance team and earned a spot. Margie learned that getting back up and succeeding after failure is possible. Margie kept the lesson close to her heart and applied it to her life moving forward.
Margie made the cheerleading team again the next year and every year after that. She also began working first as a babysitter, then at Old Style Barbecue before landing a job at the local McDonald’s. There, Margie saw again that hard work, dedication, and determination get you to your goals. “McDonald’s was amazing for me! Back then, they somehow made you want to be the best crew member ever, and that’s what I set out to do. I use so much of what I was taught then today! Yes, there were times when I was embarrassed to wear the uniform - especially if a rival team or girl you were competing with came in to eat, but the times I was proud to wear the uniform outweighed the embarrassing ones! I recommend all young folks to work in customer service because you learn so much about yourself and people! I loved working at McDonald’s - I was even an Associate Manager! I remember my manager Paul, told me the hardest part would be to divide being a friend and being a leader. He was so right!”
Learning to manage to be a friend and a leader was what Margie needed as the future owner of a family business. And Rebel Services has indeed been a family business from the start. You might even say the heartbeat of Rebel Services started when Margie met Tommy James on Halloween in 1987.
That night, Margie rebelled against her notions when she fell for Tommy. Her sister had tried to introduce the two before, but Margie had been uninterested because she considered Tommy a “prep” who wore stone-washed jeans rolled up at the ankles with tennis shoes and an untucked polo shirt. He also dipped and had long hair. That didn’t fit Margie’s idea of who a cheerleader on the National Honor Society should date.
But then Halloween night set the course for Margie and Tommy’s future. Margie was 14 years old and wasn’t typically allowed to go alone with friends. However, Margie’s sister would be with her, so her parents made an exception for the sisters to go rolling yards with friends. Margie had her eye on another boy, and her sister helped her get gussied up in hair and makeup. The boy repaid Margie’s hard work in her attempt to impress him by dousing her with an egg right on top of her head.
Embarrassed but not wanting to return home because she knew she would have to stay, Margie and her sister decided to stick around for the rest of the night. That same boy Margie thought she liked continued to douse her with eggs. As she pleaded with him to stop, Tommy James suddenly appeared. Tommy quickly came to Margie’s rescue like a knight in shining armor and told the boy, “Hey! She’s with me!” This time Tommy wore a fresh haircut, nice cologne, a tucked shirt, and cowboy boots with his stonewashed jeans. At the end of the evening, Tommy asked Margie for her phone number; the rest was history.
Fast-forward a few years to the early 90s, when Margie was a new mother and a fresh college graduate. Margie and Tommy moved to Ripley, Mississippi, after high school and Margie studied at nearby Blue Mountain College. After switching focus on a major a few times, Margie graduated with an accounting degree. She obtained a job with a Memphis-based, family-owned construction company that built Exxon and Mapco service stations.
Margie enjoyed her time with the construction company, but she and Tommy agreed that the drive from Ripley to Memphis was challenging. A neighbor informed her about an open position in the aviation division at Dees Oil Company in Ripley. There, Margie’s love for aviation blossomed. She learned everything from fuel taxes and billing to sales and customer service and how to dispatch loads. Margie fell in love with the job and the aviation industry.
After briefly leaving Dees Oil for an accounting position, Margie returned to the company only for Dees Oil to sell their aviation division soon after. Margie thought she had lost her job, but thanks to her ability to make anyone around her feel like family, a customer unknowingly assisted in opening a new door. When the customer learned that a new company was acquiring their account, they demanded that everything about their services and experience remain the same–including Margie. The new owner obliged and soon learned for himself why the customer considered Margie so valuable.
The new company offered Margie an opportunity to move to North Carolina for a new position. Excited at the prospect of living somewhere new and giving their children a chance to experience life outside of Mississippi, Margie accepted, and the James family headed northeast. The family loved their time in North Carolina, but then September 11 happened. Margie and Tommy were deeply affected by the events of 9/11. They re-evaluated their priorities and the future of the James family. They decided it was time to return home to Mississippi. They quickly sold their home, and Tommy returned to Mississippi first to begin work. Margie soon followed but hadn’t found a new position by the time she was set to leave North Carolina. On her final day in North Carolina, the company she had worked for offered a sales position working from her home in Mississippi. Her move aligned with their need for representation in the agricultural industry.
Margie began selling fuel to ag operators and maintaining her customers from Dees Oil. Selling fuel in the ag industry was challenging for Margie because she was a woman in a male-dominated world. But as we’ve learned, Margie James doesn’t meet a challenge she won’t overcome. Margie listened to her customers’ needs and found a way to meet them. Cold calls to ag operators ended with comments such as, “pretty lady, if you can fix this pump or that truck, then I’ll buy fuel from you!”
These comments may have discouraged others from continuing with the job, but Margie James took the bull by the horns and found a way to fix the mechanical problems, so many of her potential ag customers were facing. She recruited her husband, Tommy, who was a certified mechanic. Margie’s reputation in the ag industry quickly flourished, and she used that to help her get a foothold in the aviation industry. She reached out to the most popular fuel provider recommended by ag operators, Pete Hartman, who gave her a chance.
Like always, Margie went above and beyond to prove herself to Pete and his customers in the aviation industry. And again, when a challenge presented itself, Margie met it head-on, and, this time, she began building her own business from it. Margie needed a local fuel farm construction company for her customers, but the most commonly used company didn’t always follow aviation guidelines. When she promised to use them for all of her customers' needs if they vowed to follow aviation regulations, the company refused. So, she got permission from her employer to start her own fuel farm business!
Margie worked hard and studied harder to learn all she needed to start Rebel Services. She received a low-interest small business loan from Northeast Mississippi Community College and found Rebel’s first home, a warehouse they would outgrow in just four years. She also recruited Tommy as Rebel’s first mechanic and first employee.
Margie and Tommy’s children were still young when Rebel Services was founded. Their oldest daughter, Sarah, was in cosmetology school, and their two sons, Cody and Dalton, were young teenagers. Margie was pregnant with their youngest son, Trace while starting Rebel Services.
Eventually, each of the James children has joined the family business in some capacity–even little Trace! Now, the three oldest children–Sarah, Cody, and Dalton–are stepping up significantly to help run the family business. Sarah is now representing Rebel Services at trade shows, while Cody and Dalton play crucial roles in the day-to-day operations.
“Family business” doesn’t just apply to the Jameses. Margie considers all her employees, the aviation community, and Ripley’s community to be part of the Rebel Services family. Margie and Tommy give back to their Rebel family and community in many ways. They helped begin a youth football league in Ripley and worked with local schools and trade schools to equip and encourage kids interested in aviation. They also take any speaking opportunities to share with youth about the aviation industry and its many possibilities.
When asked what advice she has for young women who want to pursue a career in a male-dominated field, Margie had these words to impart, “I never wanted to “outperform” a man. I wanted to learn from them. Several times my ignorance was my greatest asset. Getting hung up on being number one or being the best or the first results in sacrificing the attributes that make us amazing. I rely on the Lord for guidance, not from the acceptance of this world. If you want to be great - ask the Lord to give you opportunities to do just that but don’t step on people to climb your way to the top. I have a team of people that give everything they got for me now - I know that, and I appreciate each one of them. I learn from them and try to lead them to the best of my ability, but I am who I am because of their greatness, not mine alone.”
