My company and title is… Owner/Medical Provider of The Mending Spot.

A typical day in my life includes…
Waking up to my five-year-old boy wanting me to play Candyland or something. My wife and I take turns taking the little guy to his school. When I take him, he somehow convinces me to get him a donut. I don’t know how he does it…it’s clearly a Vulcan mind trick.

Then I am off to work where I see an average of 20 patients a day who are suffering from back pain, knee, shoulder, neck pain, neuropathy, and other ailments. I must love what I do because I have been at it for over 25 years. In the Military we used to say ‘practicing good medicine in bad places.’ But here, it’s good medicine in good places.
My favorite thing about living/working in the North 32nd area is…
I love Arizona. We came from Hawaii, which was my last duty station once I retired from the Army after 24 years of service. I came to Arizona because my wife joined the Air Force once I retired and we got stationed at Luke AFB. When I first arrived here, it was September and it was starting cool down. I had no idea how hot it would be in the summer.

There is so much to do in Arizona; skiing, fishing, boating, and sweating. Working here is also amazing. I love my patients, especially my older ones who have the most incredible stories. I like to take my time and really get to know my patients. We pride ourselves in our great bedside manner and a friendly environment.

My favorite movie I could never get tired of watching and why…
Legends of The Fall. Only because it had so many elements that I enjoy. It has a lot of great landscape scenery and a great story.

My family…
Is everything to me. My wife Sonja is a Clinical Psychologist and has her own practice in Scottsdale. She is super sweet and very kindhearted. My sons Marco goes to college and works part-time. He has another part-time job and that is babysitting his little brother Makana. Makana just turned five and is a handful with his Tae Kwon Do and soccer. He keeps me young…and tired.

The business lesson I learned the hard way is… The Mending Spot has been open for one year now. I have learned a few lessons the hard way, including: Owning your own business is a lot harder to do than I thought. Being an owner versus an employee are vastly different things. But mostly, hard work and persistence are the birthplace of success.
One thing I cannot live without is…
Coffee. Must. Have. Java.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…
A doctor or Bruce Springsteen.

The song I would sing at Karaoke night is…
“Shall I Fall Behind” by Bruce Springsteen.

The one person who motivates me is…
My brother.

The last thing that made me laugh out loud was… An old episode of the Carol Burnet Show. They were so funny!

The perfect day would be… Well tomorrow is promised to no one, so I would say any day on a beach.

My first job was… Working as a forklift operator in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

I’m currently working on…
Learning how to be a Medical Provider and a Clinic Owner at the same time. I am also working on a new book (my first book was published in 2016 called I Just Want to See Trees: A Journey through P.T.S.D.) My new book, about hope, is called I’m 22.

The actor I would want to play me in a movie of my life is…
Sean Connery.

My dream vacation would be to…
Tahiti

My words of wisdom to aspiring business owners…
Success looks a lot like hard work. Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves.