My company & title is… General Manager of Arizona Sports Complex at 35th Ave & Pinnacle Peak.
A typical day in my life includes… I start my day waking up with my young boys (3.5 years old and 8 months old). Once everyone is dressed and ready for the day we head to the gym before I head into work for the day. My day then consists of my daily tasks and communication, with meetings mixed in, managing upcoming events and overseeing operations. Then I end my day with some time with my family before bedtime. This is basically my routine 7 days a week, with time off from gym on the weekends, but longer days at the sports complex.
My favorite thing about living/working in the Deer Valley area is… It’s a very family-friendly area. Many of the families we serve live in the area, and I know that even families we don’t serve are very active in the sports community. I myself love taking my family to the various shopping centers and restaurants, and I come all the way from near Vistancia.
My favorite movie I could never get tired of watching is… I have a few favorites. The Big Short, Moneyball, and the Social Network are all movies that get me fired up and excited to work. The Social Network is about the rise of one of the biggest companies in history, Moneyball is about beating the odds and thinking outside the box, and the Big Short is sort of about economic justice in our society that glorifies money over purpose.
My family… My fiancé and I will be married this fall and we have two young boys. I love the time I get with my family because my boys are getting big so fast, and I work so much that I try to get as much time with them as I can. My fiancé is very supportive of my purpose and drive in recreational sports. She understands the commitment it takes for me to run a business, and I’m grateful of her support to allow me to put in the hours and hard work that I do to make our company successful.
The business lesson I learned the hard way is… Hiring friends. As much as I’ve enjoyed working with friends and I love to surround myself with like-minded people who I get along with well, it can be hard to manage someone you are so close to. And in the unfortunate event that you have let a friend go, it can put a strain on your relationship. Luckily for me, I have stayed friends with those that were also former coworkers.
One thing I cannot live without… I hate to say it, but my cell phone. This day in age it is my lifeline to everything and everyone. It provides me quick access to all the information I need which allows me to be more productive, but unfortunately it distracts me from so much. It’s the good and bad of technology. I can accomplish more in a day, a week, a year than generations before me, but unfortunately it’s tunnel vision and I miss a lot of what is going on around me.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… A professional athlete, like most kids. Looking back now I can appreciate my experiences of just being involved in fun activities and sports than I did at developing my athleticism.
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is… Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” because everyone in the bar would get into it.
The one person who motivates me is… My son. While he doesn’t necessarily push me, his development as a little boy and seeing daddy work hard is my drive and motivation because I want to set a good example for my kids.
The last thing that made me laugh out loud was… My son’s giggle. When they play together they get each other laughing so hard and it’s contagious.
The perfect day would be… A day that I could turn my phone off, get away from the TV and all the things that distract me in my everyday life, and just spend the day enjoying time with my family. Too seldom do we get times like that, and I think it is very important to have that kind of time with your family.
My first job was… Working the snack bar and being the skate guard at a roller rink called Rollerplex when I was 14 years old. I loved it so much that it’s what made me decide to spend my life involved with sports.
My life… Is very hectic and busy and often times overwhelming, but full of purpose and support from those around me. I hope that one day I can look back at all that I’ve worked on, and know that I made an impact on improving people’s lives.
I’m currently working on… Finally finishing my bachelor’s degree. I’ve had a lot of hiatus over the years, but now that my sons are such an impressionable age, I want them to see me work hard for something. I want to set a good example for them and the many kids that I work with in youth sports.
The best gift I’ve ever received was… Each year my son makes me a painting for Father’s Day and they are my favorite things because I love seeing his paintings progress over the years. I’m excited to see how they will continue to evolve.
The actor I would want to play me in a movie of my life is… Chris Evans. Probably mostly based on his cool Captain America character.
My dream vacation would be to… A combination of beach and woods. Someplace way from technology and the hectic life of work and living in a city. Just time to tune out and focus my attention on myself and my family.
