Who is William & Rowena Jones of Rank Fortress

Over ten years ago, I met my now wife, Rowena in a Facebook group, just another ordinary day in the digital world, but little did I know, that one interaction would change everything. At the time, she was a single mother, working as an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) in Kuwait, sending money back home to support her family in the Philippines. She had left behind everything, her country, her home, her friends and most heartbreakingly, her three-month-old daughter (Lay Lay).

Let that sink in for a second. Three months old.

I can't even begin to imagine what it takes to make that kind of sacrifice. But she did it because that’s what love looks like when you’re up against the kind of odds that force you to choose between staying with your baby and making sure her family has a future. That’s the reality for so many Filipinos who leave their families behind, stepping into an unknown world just to make ends meet.

Rowena and I started talking first as friends, then something more. She had this incredible strength about her, the kind you don’t see every day. And she was hilarious, too. It was easy to fall for her. She wasn’t just surviving; she was fighting for something bigger than herself. I knew early on that she wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before.

Fast forward a few years, and we built a life together. But even as our own little world started coming together, we couldn’t ignore the bigger problem, the fact that thousands of Filipinos, just like Rowena once had, were still forced to leave their homes, their kids, and everything familiar just to earn a decent wage to support their family. That reality never stopped gnawing at us.

And so, Rank Fortress was born.

We didn’t start this company just to make money. We started it because we saw firsthand what it meant to be separated from the people you love just to survive. Because no mother should have to choose between feeding her child and being there to watch them grow up. Because no father should have to miss birthdays, graduations, or even the small, everyday moments that make life worth living.

We wanted to create an opportunity, a way for Filipinos to work, earn a stable income, and still go home to their families at night. No more heartbreaking goodbyes at the airport, no more counting the days until the next short visit home, no more missing out on life’s milestones. Just honest, work that pays the bills without tearing families apart.

Starting Rank Fortress wasn’t easy. Hell, it was anything but. There were days we questioned everything, whether it would work, whether people would trust us, whether we were insane for even trying. But then we’d get messages from our team members, telling us how working from home changed their lives.

“I get to see my kids every day now.”

“My mom doesn’t have to worry about me going abroad anymore.”

“I can finally save up for my own home.”

Those messages? They’re the reason we keep pushing forward.

Today, Rank Fortress isn’t just a business. It’s a movement. It’s a chance for Filipinos to reclaim their lives, to build careers without losing themselves in a foreign country, to be present for their families instead of just sending money from thousands of miles away. It’s proof that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of separation.

If someone had told me ten years ago that a Facebook comment would lead to all of this, I would’ve laughed. But here we are, turning personal pain into something powerful, giving people choices that Rowena never had. And honestly? That feels like a damn good reason to keep going.

So, to anyone out there who’s ever had to say goodbye to their family for the sake of a paycheck, this is for you. And to those still wondering if it’s possible to build a future without leaving everything behind,

Yes, it is. We’re living proof of that.

And we’re just getting started.

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