My company & title is…. Phoenix Commercial Brokers (owner)
A typical day in my life includes… I am an early riser and into work by 7:00 usually. Always check the Deer Valley market first, sales, leases and see what’s new! My best days are full of tours, meeting with clients and showing property. I always have documentation to do and respond to client e-mails. Then I wrap up my day with dinner, helping the kids with homework and playing a little backyard soccer.
My favorite thing about living/working in Deer Valley is… The best thing about working commercial real estate in Deer Valley is this new exploding market. There is still huge opportunity for growth here.
Your favorite movie you could never get tired of watching and why… The best character ever in any movie has to be Captain Augustus (Gus) McCray in The Lonesome Dove. Hard life and great spirit. In my opinion, it’s the best Western ever. But be, careful it’s a tear jerker!
My family… I’m blessed with the most beautiful Brazilian wife in the world. She is even more beautiful inside than out, and that’s hard to imagine when you see her. We have two Braz-irish kids together 8 and 4, and their older sister, 28, lives in Texas.
The business lesson I learned the hard way is… Follow-up. We work so hard to establish our client relationships but without follow up we are so easily and quickly forgotten.
One thing I cannot live without… My family would say it’s college football but the truth is it’s my family.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… a fireman, so I became one for 22 years with Tucson Fire Department. I spent 10 years as a paramedic and 10 years as a fire captain. I’ve got some stories when you have time. I’ve delivered 5 babies in my career which was very exciting.
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is… I have only sang one time in my life because my wife (who is a great singer) said she’d sing with me. Of course she bailed in the middle of “Suspicious Minds”. You know…ELVIS. Thank god I can dance a little like Elvis because the song bombed. Never again!
The one person who motivates me is… My real estate partner who’s so successful and so generous (he anonymously donates 80 college scholarships a year). It’s inspiring.
The last thing that made me laugh out loud was… My wife is still learning English and as we drove by a supermarket the other day she asked “Honey, am I Fresh & Easy?” The water I was drinking came out my nose!
The perfect day would be… To close the Big Deal and get my butt home early to get the kids and wife, and head out for pizza to celebrate.
My first job was… Believe it or not the copper mines hired us for our summer job driving earthmovers at the mines. These are dump trucks that you climb an 8 ft. ladder just to get into the driver seat. Scary and big fun.
My life… has been quite a road. Started as a high school teacher/coach then a haberdasher selling custom suits in Phoenix. Then moved on to the Tucson Fire Department and now commercial real estate for 18 years. It’s been fun and no, I’m not 90 years old…I just stay busy! Some of my careers have overlapped.
I’m currently working on… a new Deer Valley Airpark 2020 Annual Commercial Real Estate Report.
The best gift I’ve ever received was… my wife. She’s a gift from God, no doubt.
The actor I would want to play me in a movie of my life is… Tom Cruise – you know, because it’s an action movie.
My dream vacation would be to… Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Having lunch at the beach Café with the family and watching the kids play in the sand. Just watching Brazil pass by is pure 24-hour entertainment. A long walk on Copacabana Beach to Ipanema Beach.
My words of wisdom to aspiring business owners… You better love to show up for work everyday or find another business. No problem in business is a bad as some of the real problems I saw on the Fire Department – life changing problems! My worst day in business didn’t come close to some of the worst days I saw as a fireman. It definitely gives real perspective in life.
