My Story
This page focuses not so much on my skills, but rather, on the things in life that have shaped who I am and how I work.
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For more information about my professional skills, please use the links below to view my resume or view my skills video.
Learning to Work (Hard)
At a young age, I was taught and expected to work hard. My mother was a bit of a perfectionist and her opinion "I'm bored" was a 4-letter word that meant you needed more work to do. I was rarely bored.
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My first paid job was for my mom's boss, an older man that she took care of. He had a long gravel driveway. Much of the gravel had been pushed to the top of the driveway by plows as they cleared the snow.
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He asked if I would be willing to spread the gravel on the driveway, and how much I would charge him to do so. Being about 10-years old and not really knowing much about money, I told him I would do it for $20. He accepted my bid.
It took me several hours working with just a couple of buckets, a rake, and a shovel. It was literally the hardest $20 I have ever made. However, I got the job done, and he was satisfied with my work.
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Though I didn't make much, I was proud of myself for completing the job. That same pride and effort are what I have put into every job since.
Lessons
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Charge what you are worth
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Take pride in every job you do
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Don't stop when you get tired, you are capable of more than you think
Despite taking advantage of my inexperience, my mom's boss was a good man. A few years later my mother and I were about to be homeless, but he stepped in and bought us a house.
Work History
I started working in construction with my father at the age of 13 during school breaks.
Skills Learned
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General Construction
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Towing
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Delivery
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Customer Service
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Intermediate Computer Skills
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Basic Auto Mechanics
​At the age of 17, I started delivering 5-gallon bottles of water for my step-father's company. By the age of 18, I was driving his truck with a goose-neck trailer hauling about 1,000 gallons of water from his well in the mountains.
During this time, I got my GED at the local vocational school and started taking classes in computer programing and auto mechanics. Knowing how to work on my own car has been a big help over the years, and the little bit of computer programming that I learned would end up providing a foundation for work that I would do years later.
Just before I turned 20, I moved to Brooklyn, NY, to work as a volunteer for Watchtower. During my 9-years there, I had the opportunity to work at a number of jobs and learn from a number of amazing leaders.
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It was not unusual to see groups from large corporations coming through on tour to see how we operated. The organization, training, and work atmosphere were on an entirely different level.
Jobs At Watchtower (In Order)
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Gathering and Packing
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Inventory Management
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Material Handling
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Shipment Coordination (domestic)
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Shipment Coordination (export)
It was in this environment that I learned teamwork. I worked with people from all over the country and with a few from other countries. It was one of the single best experiences of my life.
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When I became the material handling manager, I began attending inter-department meetings. Meeting with department heads who had way more experience than I did was a great learning experience.
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During my fifth year, I was asked to help with a project in our department's office. This was a big change. I went from working with my buddies out on the floor (most of whom were also between the ages of 19-25) to wearing dress clothes and working with a much older group of people.
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The project involved helping our department to adopt new software that was being developed for all of Watchtower's branches worldwide. I began working as a business analyst, and it was at this point that the little bit of computer programming I had learned started to pay off. It allowed me to bridge the gap between my team and the programmers.
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After completing my month in the office, I was pulled into a meeting with two of my department heads. They asked me how I was liking working in the office. I was honest with them. I said "I don't really like it. I miss working out on the floor with the other guys. But I will do whatever you ask me to."
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They laughed at my response and thanked me for my willingness to do whatever was needed. They then informed me that I would be staying in the office. Little did I know that this change would enable me to grow in ways I never could have imagined.
Skills Learned at Watchtower
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Teamwork
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Leadership
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Public Speaking
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Excel Macros
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Microsoft Access
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Business Analyst
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Inventory Management
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Forklift Operation​
Because of my experience with the new program, they decided to have me move from domestic to export shipment coordination to help that team transition over to the new software.
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It was in this final role that I felt like I was able to make the biggest impact. I had the opportunity to learn how to create macros for Excel, which saved 4-6 hours of work on some of our shipments. During this time I was also involved in planning for our new facilities in upstate New York.
​When I finally decided that it was time to move on to my next adventure, the thing I missed most was the people that I worked with. It was an amazing group and an amazing experience.
Getting Humbled - Moving To Montana
After New York, I moved to Montana in December of 2007. Never move to Montana in December. Finding work was difficult, and initially, I started working at UPS loading containers at night just to pay the bills.
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To my dismay, I found that all of the experience I had gained over the previous 9-years didn't mean much in an area where I was an outsider, from New York no less. I am not by nature a salesman, and as a result, I failed to sell myself to many of the companies I applied to.
This was a humbling experience and a lesson on the importance of networking and learning to sell your skills. I have learned that it is less about what you know and more about who you know.
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By February the work at UPS had slowed down, so I decided to find another job. I started washing windows with a friend until spring.
Lessons
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It's not what you know, it's who you know
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Importance of professional networking
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Being able to sell your skills to others is extremely important
Once spring came, I was able to get a job with Nitro-Green of Helena, a lawn care company.
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A month after starting with Nitro-Green, I also got married (which was the reason I had moved from New York to Montana).
I worked with the company for two seasons. The owners were very nice to work with, and I still consider them friends down to this day. However, I did not find the work itself challenging enough to keep me from getting bored.
Skills Learned at Nitro-Green
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Customer Service
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Lawn Maintenace
After finishing the second season with Nitro-Green, I met a contractor who needed help finishing a vacation home, and I started working for him.
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The experience I had gained working with my father paid off and I was quickly able to make a good impression on both the contractor and the homeowner. As the job was coming to a close, I was offered the job of being the property caretaker.
For the most part, managing the property was only a part-time job, so I started doing part-time volunteer work again.
The volunteer work included some construction projects, helping patients at the local hospital and VA, and assisting at the Helena Food Share.
Skills Learned as a Property Manager
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Project Management
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Customer Service
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General Property Maintenance
As the property manager, I handled all of the yard work, general maintenance, cleaning, and set up of household electronics. I coordinated major projects with various local contractors.
What Doesn't Break You Makes You Stronger
In 2013 my wife got very sick. At the same time, I found myself dealing with unresolved issues from my childhood. During that time, I had to stop doing volunteer work and focus on trying to make a little more to help cover doctor bills.
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The owner of the property I managed was friends with a doctor in a town 90-miles from where we lived. He talked to the doctor on our behalf, and that doctor was able to get my wife an appointment with a specialist. We later found out that without that intervention, my wife would never have been able to get an appointment.
Again, the value of networking and building friendships is priceless.
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Unfortunately, the stress of our situation took its toll on our marriage. My wife and I separated in 2015.
Lesson
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Ask for help when it is needed
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Accept help when it is offered
Starting Over
I never really took to Montana. It is a beautiful state, but I always felt like an outsider. So when my wife and I separated, I decided to move out of the state.
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I notified the owner of the vacation home that I was going to be leaving, and he invited me to move to Reno to take care of some commercial properties for him.
The move to Reno was difficult. Emotionally, I was drained. Additionally, I had injured my back just before leaving Montana.
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I started working in Reno in August of 2015. Initially, things went well and I got to work right away assisting with and coordinating projects on the properties.
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The man I was working for runs a foundation with his wife. Shortly after moving to Reno, their secretary took another job. Because of my previous job experience, they had me fill in until they could find a replacement.
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I was required to wear dress clothes when doing office work, which became a problem as I bounced back and forth between maintenance and the office. This unfortunately caused some friction and six months later we decided to part ways.
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It was sad because previously, my relationship with this individual had been very positive. I considered him a friend. After parting ways, he and I never spoke again.
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Dealing with emotional and physical stress can make it difficult to deal with others effectively. While my work never suffered, many of my relationships did.
I learned that when you are dealing with high levels of anxiety, it is important to take a breath. Recognize that others likely won't understand what you are going through. You can't expect others to make allowances for your bad days. You have to put forth the effort to manage your emotions in a productive way.
While looking for another job, I took a temporary job helping at a nursing home. I was assigned to one person on each shift who was considered a suicide risk.
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This was by far one of the worst jobs I have ever done. It is very sad to see people wasting away. Most of the people I looked after were nice, but I did have one dementia patient who could be violent.
I worked at this job for about 2-months. Much of that time was spent working the night shift. Besides not being something that I would have wanted to do long term, the job only paid minimum wage, which was not enough to cover my bills.
Lessons
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The importance of empathy for the elderly and their caretakers
​I think that it is sad how poorly we value those that take care of the elderly.
Thankfully, someone told me about a company that was looking for a full-time manager. The opportunity ended up being with Fast Company, a small company that provides digital merchandising services for car dealerships.
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During the interview, the owner of the company asked me if I felt that I would be able to deal with angry dealership managers. I told him that as long as they didn't try to hit me or randomly start peeing on walls, I should be okay. While none of them were ever as bad as that dementia patient, some of them were not too far off.
Fast Company Accomplishments
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Built them a website
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Created Excel macros to increase reporting capabilities
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Created training programs
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Became a Certified Commercial Drone Pilot
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Acquired Photo/Video skills
I started working with Fast Company in April of 2016. I started out working at the dealerships taking photos and videos of their inventory. Being a car guy, I really enjoyed my work.
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After the first year, I started to do more work with the office and with training. I had the opportunity to travel to different states to set up our service and train new employees.
It was during one of those trips that my back finally had enough. My flight back from Wyoming was very painful, and I had to schedule an appointment with a doctor as soon as I got back. I was scheduled for surgery two months later.
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Thankfully, during those two months, I was only working in the office. While at work I would take ibuprofen to manage the pain. When I got home I would eat, take my pain meds, and then try to sleep for as long as possible before they wore off.
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I had back surgery in October of 2017. A week after the surgery, I was able to start working from home, and the following week I was able to go back to the office.
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Sadly, with the chip shortage and less inventory to process, I was laid off at the end of January 2022. Overall, I enjoyed my time with Fast Company. I was given a lot of opportunities to use the skills I had learned in New York, and I learned a lot about photography, videography, and video editing.
Closing the Loop
Figuring out what I wanted to do after Fast Company was difficult. Initially, I started applying for jobs within the car industry, but I was not really finding anything that was a good fit.
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After a couple of months of doing some side jobs, I decided to look into Milewalk Academy to better refine my job search. One of Milewalk's recommendations was to make a list of 10 things that you need out of your next employer.
At the top of my list was that I wanted my next job to be something that would "Improve the lives of others." This list significantly impacted my job search and ultimately helped me find a company that aligned with my values.
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In June of 2022, I started working with Redwood Materials as a "Training Specialist." For the first time in a while, I find myself really excited about the work that I am doing. This startup has been a breath of fresh air. It is so nice to work with a really solid team.
Redwood Skills
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Helped with LMS implementation
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Training program development
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Learning about battery recycling and related manufacturing processes
I'm excited to see where my journey with Redwood takes me.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.