Occupation: Owner of Ralph’s Market, Butcher Boy Groceries, and Save A Lot
Wife: Katie Trosclair
Children: Brianna, 13, and Peyton, 11
Hobbies: Breeding and racing thoroughbred horses, flying airplanes, traveling, and karate

Brandon Trosclair is a local hero for his business, his community, and, most importantly, for his children. He believes that there is no greater thing than being a dad and coming home to hugs from his two children, Brianna and Peyton. In January 2022, Brandon won his lawsuit against the illegal OSHA vaccine mandate that would have required his hundreds of employees throughout LA and MS to be fully vaccinated in order to work–which would have made it difficult for him to hire and retain employees. Other than making big moves in the Supreme Court, Brandon can be found doing karate with his family, taking care of his animals, and spending quality time with his children.

What does a normal day look like for you?
BRANDON: Usually I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, then I wake the kids up and get the coffee going, and we’re out the door by 6:30. I drop kids off at school and get to the office by 7:30 where I put in a normal day’s work until about 4 in the afternoon. Then, I come home and play basketball with my kids and the neighbors’ kids for about an hour. After that, we take care of our horses, cows, and chickens. We have karate some nights, and other nights we’re just doing homework, cooking dinner, and calling it a day.

What are the joys and challenges of raising your children?
BRANDON: The biggest joy is that my kids still think their daddy is a hero and a rockstar. Everytime I come home, they run up to me, hug me, and say they love me. I also love teaching my kids to dream big. Some challenges would be keeping them motivated with school. They have hobbies, but I have to tell them there are lots more important things in the world than playing basketball, for example.

How would you describe yourself as a father?
BRANDON: Very loving, for sure, but maybe too strict. Honestly, I’m probably too hard on them at times, but I want my kids to be hard working as adults and to appreciate the things they have and to be humble. My strictness shows my kids how much I care about them. 

What’s your favorite thing about being a dad?
BRANDON: Probably the hugs. It’s really special to me, especially with them basically being teenagers. I also enjoy the 30 minutes of me driving them to school and the conversations we have about life. The last thing I tell them every morning is that I love them and to have a good day; they say they love me more, and I say “that’s impossible.”

What has parenthood taught you?
BRANDON: I wasn’t as right as I thought I was when I was a kid growing up. 

What are some things you hope to teach your children?
BRANDON: To know the Lord Jesus Christ and to accept him as their Savior. It’s not something I can force them to do, but it’s my greatest responsibility as a parent, more  important than any success they’ll ever know or any downs they will come across.

What is something your job has taught you about parenting?
BRANDON: Patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a business, though we’ve been very fortunate to grow the last several years. Raising a child doesn’t happen in a  day, either.

What has been your biggest challenge in parenting during the pandemic?
BRANDON: When the pandemic first started, being in the grocery business became a very challenging and changing dynamic. Luckily, I have some fantastic parents that took my kids for 2.5 months and did daily online school with them. My biggest challenge was that my kids weren’t here with me every day, but I was working a lot more hours than normal during the initial spike.

What has been your biggest challenge for your job during the pandemic?
BRANDON: There’s been a lot of change and uncertainty. We went from doing 2-3 online orders a day to 200 a day, and the deli business is 2 percent of my business when it used to be 25 percent. Thankfully, we didn’t have to let anybody go. There’s also been lots of uncertainty with government mandates like masks and vaccines, but I stood up for my business and my employees’ rights, and we were successful in winning the BST Holdings v. OSHA lawsuit that I filed in response to the federal vaccine mandate. This makes us the first in the country to sue OSHA and the president.

How do you make time to relax?
BRANDON: Every day at work we take a 15-minute “clarity break” at 4 p.m. At that time, you can find me around the coffee pot fixing coffee, relaxing, and thinking about what I accomplished that day and what I need to accomplish in the next few days. My general manager and I also like to go play golf together. I also relax by taking care of our animals for 45 minutes to an hour after work. When you’re at work every day, you’re getting pulled in every direction, but afterwards I can come home and spend time relaxing with kids and the animals.

Do you have any advice for other parents?
BRANDON: Put the Lord first, your marriage second, and your kids third. If you and your spouse have a strong relationship with God, raising your kids will go a lot smoother. Everything else will fall in line after that.

Q&A
Before I go out, I always check to make sure I have…my phone.
In my fridge, you will always find…milk.
My favorite dessert is…oreos and milk.
My favorite food is…jambalaya.
My guilty pleasure is…probably too much fresh milk from our cow.
I’m always laughing at…my wife.
My dream travel spot is…Israel.