Page 5 - SPARK Q3 2018

What hobby or activity that you not do now but think you might like when you retire?
Travel and experiencing the world. I love to learn about new cultures and meet people from all around
the world.

What’s your message to the reader?
Dream It, Believe It, Bring It and you will Live It!!! Make the Impossible a Reality!!!

Rapid Fire:
• Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer? Hunter
• What’s your favorite ’90s jam? Loved Pearl Jam in the 90’s. Not sure I had a particular favorite as I
loved all of their songs.
• If you really knew me, you'd know_____. I love spending all of my free time with my wife Kelly and
son Noah.
• His interests towards books – current book he is reading: I enjoy Malcom Gladwell books “Tipping
Point” would be a great example of books that I enjoy.
• What movie or novel character do you most identify with? I love romantic comedies so I will say
Matthew McConaughey who played “Ben” in “How to lose a Guy in 10 days”
When you’re considering partnering with another person or business, what factors are deal-breakers
for you?
The first thing I look for is trust. I truly believe if you have a foundation of trust you can accomplish a
great deal together or through a larger partnership.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
Moved my whole family to Beijing, China to take on a challenging role and not speaking one ounce of
the native language. Taking this risk paid off in a great way, but at the time of making this a challenge
I was asking a lot not only of myself, but my family as well.

How do you help a new employee understand the culture of your organization?
Have them come to a staff meeting. They get to see how we interact with each other. See the respect
that everyone has for one another. A good culture is contagious so immerse them into it as quickly as
possible.

What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?
Speed and the ever changing landscape. You have to be agile as a leader but more importantly as an
organization or a company. I am a firm believer that you are always better off being the individual who
sets the change vs the one reacting to the change.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Listen to others. Surround yourself with intelligent people. You don’t need to know everything as you
move into a leadership role, but you do need to trust those who you surround yourself, have a likability
factor of you and be bold and make tough decisions when required.