My company & title is….
Company: Black Rock Bouldering Gym
Title: Owner & President
A typical day in my life includes…
Mornings usually include emails and phone calls after breakfast, then I’ll either head to off-site meetings or into the gym to conduct a quick walk-through to see how everything looks. If I don’t have more emails or planning meetings in the afternoon, I’ll spend some time catching up with members and guests as they’re climbing before going on a run with our dogs and grabbing dinner with my wife, Iliana.
My favorite thing about living/working in the (North 32nd) area is…
It’s the neighborhood I grew up in and I’ve been able to watch it grow into something amazing.
My favorite movie I could never get tired of watching and why…
Forrest Gump – it’s an entertaining chronicle of events with one of my favorite actors as a lead.
My family…
Is my biggest inspiration and one of the reasons I try to be the best possible version of myself.
The business lesson I learned the hard way is…
Of all the hard lessons I’ve learned starting a business, the most significant at this point in the process is that I can’t do everything myself. It’s hard getting burned by people you thought you could trust, but it’s nearly impossible to create an amazing experience for your customers without being able to trust others to help you build that experience.
One thing I cannot live without…
Air. Food. Water…come back to me on this one…
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
A cowboy, soldier, astronaut, truck driver, and ninja. Not at the same time though.
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is…
Black Rock, from O.A.R.s album “34th & 8th”
The one person who motivates me is…
My wife, Iliana. She’s incredibly hard working, motivated to succeed, and a lot of fun. My team at Black Rock is also a main source of motivation as well.
The last thing that made me laugh out loud was…
A comedy skit I heard from Brian Regan.
The perfect day would be…
Every day I’m able to hang out with good people at the gym, spend time with my dogs, and have dinner with my wife.
My first job was…
As an ice cream scooper at Baskin Robbins when I was 14.
My life…
Is a culmination of hard work, failure, heartbreak, success, joy, and tenacity.
I’m currently working on…
Creating a bigger and better experience for our community at Black Rock.
The best gift I’ve ever received was…
Our dogs, Sydney and Charlie.
The actor I would want to play me in a movie of my life is…
Christian Bale
My dream vacation would be to…
Snowboard down a mountain to a beach, surf for a bit, then have a beach party with family at friends as O.A.R. plays an acoustic concert.
My words of wisdom to aspiring business owners…
If you ever feel like quitting, wait until tomorrow and see how you feel. Never, ever, let the job finish you.
