Jordan Ciervo’s story is one full of unexpected twists and turns, following where God has called him in his life. From choosing the school where he would eventually graduate in 2006 to spending 20 years owning and operating a business in Southern California, Ciervo has learned that the Lord’s plans do not always align with our own.
“My time at Samford taught me the value of overcoming challenges. It helped me firm up what I believe and why, and that’s helped me in life and in business,” he said.
Ciervo grew up in Atlanta and was sure during his high school years that he would end up going to college in Georgia. That is, until his best friend at the time asked him to tour Samford University. When he visited, Ciervo was so impressed that he decided then to change his plans from a state school to study in Birmingham. Looking back, he wouldn’t change anything.
“The culture here led me to push myself and get outside of my comfort zone,” he said. “That growth led to a real openness to what God would have for my life.”
While on campus, Ciervo was a member of the original Dudes A Plenty Step Sing show and participated in several study abroad programs—with one trip to Spain motivating him to add Spanish as his second major alongside business management. He was also an orientation leader, where he met his wife, April. She graduated in 2007 with a degree in Spanish and a minor in sociology.
After graduating, the couple was confident they would stay in the South. But when Ciervo accepted an internship to join a Chick-fil-A marketing team seeking to grow the company’s presence in California, his journey again took him in a direction he hadn’t seen coming.
Ciervo began his career with Chick-fil-A in Orange County, helping to popularize the business in a city with almost no familiarity with the brand. In that role, he met an operator, Matt Hughes, looking to open another location in San Diego. Ciervo was mentored by Hughes, learned the business and began to see an opportunity to become an owner and operator himself. That vision became a reality in 2007, and over the last two decades, Ciervo has built a career owning two Chick-fil-A locations and developing countless leaders through mentorship and coaching. April joined him in the restaurant business before having kids, and now she devotes much of her time to homeschooling their four children.
Ciervo thanks an entrepreneurship course he took at Samford for first giving him the idea that he could own a business. Much like Samford seeks to be a place that integrates deep Christian faith with rigorous academics, Ciervo has sought to integrate his faith, work and family in every stage of his life.
He said the biggest impact Samford had on him was growing in his faith, and he seeks to be a light to others in his community by leading Bible studies and pushing fellow believers to understand their faith. When Ciervo and his family aren’t surfing or putting their Spanish knowledge to good use while traveling, they are building deep roots in a place they never imagined they would live—with openness to God’s will for their lives and reflecting Samford’s values of pursuing excellence and fostering intentional connections in everything they do.
