Biography

First and foremost I’m a person like anyone else with flaws and strengths. Good at a few things, average a most, and lousy at others. I do my best to set a good example for my children and to impact the world in a beneficial way.

Early Years

The youngest of the family, I was born in a tiny town in Southwestern Idaho. Dad was working as milkman with a delivery route in the small town I was born after time spent driving a front end-loader at the local mine. Mom at the time was domestic, raising a houseful of kids. Ultimately I am the youngest child of 9, 5 from the 13 year marriage between my parents, her 2nd.

After my parents split up I was fortunate enough that they got along for the most part and my siblings and I could essentially choose where and with who we want to live with. Every other year in grade school I alternated between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, UT-Spending a school year or summer with either my mother (Las Vegas) or my Father (Salt Lake). I spent the duration of Junior HIgh on the NW side of Vegas, and my High School years in Salt Lake. School was always fairly easy for me academically but a challenge in terms of focus – earning placement in the various ‘gifted’ programs. I was told it kept me out of detention but it seemed I spent equal time in both. I dropped out of HS in 11th grade to work a min. wage job but eventually achieved a valid HS diploma via a mix of alternative education and adult educations programs on time a few weeks after I turned 18.

College

My mum returned to her own education, enrolling in GED classes when I entered kindergarten and eventually achieved her Undergraduate, Graduate, and PH.D over nearly the same timespan of my K-College career. She was faculty at Northern Arizona University after I graduated high school and after a gap year I was able to attend NAU on reduced tuition thanks to her position at the school. In college I played a few years of club Rugby with the NA Landsharks, spent many a blue sky day snowboarding at SnowBowl and was fortunate enough to meet my amazing and wonderful future wife Sally who encouraged and supported me while I matured and found my footing in life. I graduated on a Friday and we were married on that Saturday.

Academically It looked a lot like HS at first with me on the verge of being asked to leave with alternating semesters on academic probation. Eventually I caught my stride and doubled down on completing my undergraduate degree with student loans, pell grants, help from Sally and my family with steady work doing home construction to finish with a BFA in Visual Communications in 2003. No one has yet to ask my my GPA in my professional career.

Professional Career

The economy was pretty bad in when I got our of school in 2003 and the best work I could find was as an unpaid intern at Scottsdale Web Design Company. After a few months, and small hourly wage we took the leap – using the last of our gift money from our wedding to incorporate our company and began life as a small web design agency. We had modest success building that entity to a few employees and I was able to take a small salary. We lived out in Goodyear, AZ and commuted daily into the Scottsdale Airpark where our office was. By 2009 the economy was in the dumps again and we did not replace the employees as they left – However the energy in the burgeoning Phoenix tech scene was strong and we harnessed the collaborative vibe and this new thing called social media when we shifted out of design work in our present business.

The last 7 years Sally and I have slowly but methodically built a Software-As-A-Service company (Pagely) that focuses on Website hosting for large Enterprise companies, institutions of Higher Education, and Major Media companies. We currently employee dozens of high skill technology workers across 5 US states and 4 countries. The road was long and rocky but we did it on our terms, with no outside money, and focused on a simple “Business is Personal” concept that understands our employees are the key to our customer’s success. LinkedIn Profile

Today

Sally and I have been married 13 years, and re-located to the Catalina Foothills on the north side of Tucson, AZ in late 2014. We have two amazing and active young boys that are the perfect illustration of what it would be like to argue with a younger version of yourself about breakfast cereal.

We are both active in the day-to-day of our business and like most folks in Tucson enjoy the outdoors – Sally taking walks at Sabino Canyon, and myself enjoying the local mountain bike trails on a 29er. As a family we have a focus on helping where we can by supporting Tuscon based Bens Bells Project, St. Jude, CureSearch, PBS, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters with our financial giving. Every so often you may catch us attending Sunday services at Casas Church in Oro Valley – however a drive up to Mt. Lemmon or to a local park is also a likely Sunday activity. Sally has always been a UofA fan since her school days here in Tucson – I am a long time Phoenix Suns fan and catch an International Rugby match on TV when available.

Social Views

I am strongly to the political left on nearly all social issues such as a women’s right to dictate her own health decisions, LGBT concerns, civil rights, and the respect for all religious and cultural view points as is most of my generation (Gen-X) that lived in at least a modest size city. In regards to the social and religious aspects of society I subscribe heavily to a “you be you – I’ll be me” way of looking at things. Essentially as long as one’s actions or behaviors do not negatively impact another, they should be free to think and practice whatever cultural custom or life philosophy they choose.

There is no universal ‘truth’ for everyone. I have a sense of what feels right to me, and it may differ from what others feel is right for them, however we all come together as citizens of one nation – therein lies the bedrock and unity of our great melting pot society. Of many, one.