In a Thousand Words
I have been mentored by Saints and learned from sinners through a life filled with interesting and colorful events. If you are curious about the who and why…
My roots are blue-collar with well-instilled family work ethic. America and the Jesuits afforded me the opportunity to obtain a college degree. At the international accounting firm, Grant Thornton, my education continued through interaction with an array of interesting and influential clients including the then family-owned dairy, Altadena, the developing mortgage giant Countrywide and a controversial publisher named Larry Flynt. My introduction to entrepreneurship was diverse.
Grant Thornton honored me by making me the youngest Partner in their history in 1988.
One of my favorite clients was a not for profit organization doing community development in East Los Angeles. My calling to do something socially meaningful was strong and I joined their executive management team in late 1989.
Over the next eight years we:
-facilitated the creation of several thousand jobs,
-constructed and managed over a thousand units of affordable senior citizen housing,
-changed the economic landscape with over 1 million square feet of industrial and commercial development and
-grew a profitable bank, lending in a red-lined community on second-hand cars and mortgages that the large established banks would not touch.
Our operating revenue grew fivefold to over $100 Million annually during my tenure but more importantly, new life and opportunity were injected into a downtrodden community. Our profits were used to fund gang deterrent programs, scholarship funds and senior citizen services to touch lives that may have gone a different direction without assistance. The chance to work with people like Caesar Chavez was immensely gratifying as well.
My career over the last 20 years has been entrepreneurial and project based to afford me time with my family. I’ve served as executive/director and part owner in a variety of enterprises that included:
- A firm doing a “roll up” (acquisition and consolidation) of steel industry service centers across the US. Our businesses performed tasks like roll forming, pickling (an acid bath that removes rust and impurities), slitting and leveling of steel coils as a conduit between mills and manufacturers
- A Visual Effects firm that won Oscars for its work in “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”, “What Dreams May Come”, and “The Matrix”. (one humorous note: I received screen credit in the Matrix Sequels, but my name appears after Keanu Reeves’ driver on the scroll at the conclusion of the films .)
- A start-up technology firm that created video compression algorithms that we marketed to mobile phone, cable, and video production firms worldwide. During that time I had several interesting meetings with SARFT in Beijing, the world’s largest bureaucratic organization that was responsible for enforcing bans in China of Google and Facebook. We were also hosted by King Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on a trip to discuss applications of the technology with government officials.
- An import business where we sold building materials and furniture manufactured in China to US real estate developers.
- A firm where we received an exclusive franchise for the Country of Mongolia to operate an internationally prominent heavy equipment rental business supporting major Asian construction firms as they build the infrastructure required to mine and deliver the vast mineral wealth of their country to the international marketplace.
I spend my days now as a trusted advisor to a few dozen Not For Profit Organizations. I enjoy supporting their social missions by contributing my experience and expertise. For me, it is a way to be useful and give back at the same time.
The people I met and the experiences I had on these adventures were more than a boy from a blue-collar neighborhood could have ever hoped for. As importantly, these projects, in spite of the occasional travel requirements, afforded me the opportunity to be home for dinner most nights. I coached several youth Baseball teams, attended my daughter’s diving meets and the kid’s school performances and spent hours working at church carnivals and fish fry’s. I was able to be an involved parent and watch my three kids develop into conscientious and productive human beings.
I decided to share my experiences and lessons learned after a good deal of encouragement from the people who know my stories of life. Here you will find accounts of things that happened to me and people that I admire. Best case, a pearl of wisdom will escape from the page and allow you to achieve some lofty goal. Hopefully, you will at least find something of minor value. Be it an “Ah Ha” moment or a smile, I hope you enjoy your time here.
My book, “Columbus Took A Chance” shows how the opportunities of America emanate from every part of this great country. They are accessible, even to the most unlikely, where a determined spirit is properly applied. This is not an overnight country, but it is one where dedication and hard work are often rewarded beyond our expectations.
We are inclined to believe that the generation in which we live is unique and somehow more challenging than our predecessors’. I like to read and write about Saints because the truth is that the challenges of the human condition are reoccurring. Saint Peter Canisius, for example, lived with the same challenge we face today- that of living a quality and productive life in a polarized world. Facing fears today is no less daunting than Leo the Great having to diffuse Attila the Hun with only his words to save Rome. Ignoring the vices of our world were just as critical to Saint Benedict’s achievements as they are to people with lofty goals today. The Saint’s lives help me realize that my problems are not as overwhelming and that finding the best in our human experience can achieve amazing and lasting results.
My joys in life have remained simple – productive activity, thought-provoking conversation, and a well-prepared meal; especially when each of these is undertaken with a big dose of dedicated and selfless love.
I believe both life and business are about relationships and that we need each other. I am also convinced that very little is accomplished without facing our fears.
I hope the passages here entertain you and ignite a passion for life and its possibilities.
