Conversations with Jo’El Lapp

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jo’El Lapp.

Hi Jo’El, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Back in 2022, I was an empty nester with three dogs at home and just felt this pull to start fostering. That’s how I found Luna. She was a 70-pound, terrified girl who was actually on the euthanasia list. My husband was a hard “no” at first, but I spent a week wearing him down until he finally agreed. It didn’t take long to realize she was my soul dog. She was a total foster fail, but loving her opened my eyes to how broken things were here. Bartow County has over 100,000 people, but we didn’t even have a public animal shelter. I spent so much time complaining to a friend about the lack of resources and how I didn’t like the policies I was seeing at other rescues. Finally, my friend just looked at me and asked, “Why don’t you just start your own?” That was the lightbulb moment. I realized I could keep being frustrated, or I could build the resource our community actually needed. That’s why I started this, not just to save dogs like Luna, but to support pet owners and keep families from being forced apart in the first place.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In general, we have seen significant success. Our community approach has paid off. Now we are hitting a roadblock. The next step to expand is a facility, and we are short on funding. We are burning out, depending on foster homes. We just had to walk away from a great opportunity because the down payment would have wiped out our reserves. The growth in Bartow County and the zoning is setting up quite a few roadblocks.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My career has been a bit of a journey, but it’s always revolved around building things from the ground up and connecting with the community. I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 26 years now.

I really got my start in New York, where I owned and managed a farm for about a decade. During that same time, I served as the VP of a large farmers’ market, which was my first real deep dive into marketing, sales, and running promotional events.

In 2017, I co-founded a luxury travel agency, which I still operate today. That business is all about high-touch client service, branding, and managing complex partnerships.

On the leadership side, I spent four years as a State Director for a large grassroots advocacy organization here in Georgia. That role was a masterclass in management—training volunteers, organizing operations across the state, and learning how to move the needle on issues I care about.

Most recently, I’ve stepped into the CEO role at Bartow Rescue & Resources. It’s essentially the culmination of all those years in marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership—just focused on solving the gaps in our local animal welfare system.

How does that sound for the interview? Simple and straight to the point.

What were you like growing up?
I was actually pretty quiet unless I was around people I knew. I was horse-obsessed and a tomboy. I had 2 boy cousins, and I would much rather help them build forts and play with the big metal trucks in the mud than do anything girly. I remember that during my first Communion, I was in a beautiful white dress. I made my mom so angry when I changed into play clothes as soon as we got home from church. The party was going on, and I was out riding bikes with my cousins.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bogeysbuddies.org
• Instagram: @bogeysbuddies
• Facebook: @bogeysbuddies
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bartow-rescue-resources
• Youtube: @bogeysbuddies