I WAS BORN ON THE OIL-FIELDS OF WYOMING. I MOVED TO CALIFORNIA WHERE MY DAD WAS ORIGINALLY BORN. I WAS RAISED IN THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, IN A SMALL VALLEY TOWN CALLED ESPARTO. POPULATION 1301. YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT, BUT DON'T REALIZE IT YET. ESPARTO WAS IN THE NEWS THIS SUMMER. IT WAS THE CALIFORNIA TOWN THAT HAD THE FIREWORK FACTORY EXPLOSION. IT WAS A VERY SAD TIME FOR EVERY SPARTAN. BUT I DIGRESS.

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FIRST, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT I JUST CAN'T SIT STILL FOR VERY LONG. I AM NATURALLY A CURIOUS, A-TYPE PERSONALITY WITH A LOT OF ENERGY SO I AM ALWAYS ON THE MOVE. NATURALLY, MY DAD HAD ME THROWING NEWSPAPERS FOR THE LOCAL PAPER BY THE TIME I WAS NINE. THEN, I WASHED DISHES AND CUT THE GRASS WHEN I WAS TEN. I WAS DOING WEEKENDS AT THE FAMILY RESTAURANT WHERE I LEARNED THE CASH REGISTER AND HOW TO COUNT CHANGE BACK PROPERLY. FROM THE REGISTER, I WAS TAUGHT HOW TO CALCULATE FRANCHISE TAX BY THE TIME I WAS 12. I WAS TAUGHT CHEMICALS, TEMPERATURE SET POINTS, STORE ROOM ORGANIZATION & MERCHANDISING BY THE TIME I WAS 13, WHICH PREPARED ME FOR MY FIRST JOB AT A GROCER BY THE TIME I WAS 14, CLEANING THE MEAT LOCKER AND STOCKING SHELVES DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND ON FREIGHT DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.

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BY THE TIME I WAS SIXTEEN, I WAS GIVEN AN ULTIMATUM. IF I WANTED TO DRIVE, I HAD TO COVER THE INSURANCE, WHICH WAS MORE THAN I WAS GETTING AT THE GROCERY STORE. AS ANY KID THEN WOULD DO WITHOUT WHEELES... I LANDED THE EASIEST INTERVIEW POSSIBLE WORKING WITH MY DAD ON THE FARM. AND I WAS PAID A BIT MORE THAN MINIMUM WAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, SO I WAS ELATED. WHEN WINTER CAME, I WAS BACK AT A GROCER. I HAVE ALSO BEEN FOUND IN VARIOUS OTHER RETAIL SITUATIONS, WHERE A RECENT GIG WAS IN MEDICAL MARAJUANA/CANNABIS. I GUESS YOU CAN SAY I WENT FROM GRASS TO GRASS! :)

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EVEN AFTER ALL THE LESSONS AND FUN ON THE FARM, I HAD A VOICE ON MY SHOULDER THAT TOLD ME CORPORATE AMERICA WAS MORE ATTRACTIVE. MAYBE I WATCHED PRETTY WOMAN TOO MANY TIMES AND WANTED TO BE LIKE A RICHARD GERE IN SUITS AT FANCY DINNERS, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WHO CAN SAY?! I ALSO WATCHED A LOT OF NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET & FRIDAY THE 13th, SO THERE IS THAT, TOO? I PROMISE TO STICK TO CUTTING THE GRASS, DEAL?!

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CORPORATE AMERICA DID YIELD SOME HIGH ROLLERS ALONG THE WAY. I WORKED FOR JEFFREY KATZENBERG AT DREAMWORKS ANIMATION WHEN THE PRINCE OF EGYPT WAS RELEASED. I MADE MY WAY OVER TO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER IN CALIFORNIA, ROB MAGUIRE. IN THE 80'S, HE BUILT THE LARGEST SKYSCRAPER IN THE US, WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. HE WAS WORKING ON A PROJECT WITH KATZENBERG AT THE TIME. THEN, I MET UP WITH DAVID COULTER, ONCE OF BANK OF AMERICA, WHO WAS SPECIALIZING IN MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS WITH THE BEACON GROUP, A BOUTIQUE INVESTMENT FIRM STARTED BY A GOLDMAN SACHS ALUMNUS.​​​ DAVID WAS THE BANKER BEHIND THE PROJECT ROB & JEFFREY HAD GOING ON. WHEN THE PROJECT FELL THROUGH, THERE WAS SOME ANIMOSITY BETWEEN THE THREE MEN, SO I SCOOTED ON MY WAY DOWN THE STREET TO THE LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER, WORKING FOR ARAMARK SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT, LATER TAKING ME TO TEXAS FOR 10 YEARS WHERE I STARTED AT THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER & EVEN MAKING MY WAY TO THE ERNEST J. MORRELL NEW ORLEANS CONVENTION CENTER ONE SUMMER.

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THE CONVENTION CENTERS ARE WHERE I PLANNED EVENT CATERING, THAT LEAD TO WHOLE FOOD GLOBAL HQ WHERE I PLANNED CORPORATE EVENTS. A HOTEL RECRUITER CALLED ME WHEN WHOLE FOODS WAS WEARING THIN, AFTER TWO YEARS, AND I POPPED OVER THAT WAY. HOTELS WERE MY STORY LINE UNTIL AS OF MOST RECENTLY BEFORE GRASS, WHEN I REALIZED THAT I NEEDED A MAJOR LIFE CHANGE. I DROPPED MY SEEMINGLY PLEASANT, AIR CONDITIONED HOTEL DESK JOB FOR THE BALMY SUMMER HEAT AS SOON AS I COULD MUSTER THE STRENGTH TO GET THROUGH ONE OF THE TOUGHEST TIMES IN MY LIFE, SPINNING STRAW INTO GOLD. AND HERE WE ARE.

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THIS WINTER, I CAN BE FOUND STUDYING FOR MY PESTICIDE EXAM, SPROUTING SUNFLOWERS, SENDING HANDWRITTEN LETTERS & CARDS BACK HOME, OR SPENDING TIME ON A HOST OF  PROJECTS, BOTH BUSINESS AND HOBBY RELATED.​