- Date of Birth: July 18, 1982
- Birthplace: Telluride, Colorado
- Education: UCLA – B.A in English Literature
- Literature: Truman Capote, Dave Eggers, William Shakespeare, Stephen King, Orson Scott Card
- Interests: Music, skiing, soccer, reading, dancing, swimming with sharks, Nobel’s invention, green construction
- Aversions: Suburbia
- Travel: Not much
- Surf Spots: Rincon, Jalama, El Porto, and any well-lit spot for night surfing
- Green Plans: ModSystem Structures, Inc., superior alternatives to traditional construction
- Interesting Fact: The farthest I’ve been from the states is a two hour drive across the Mexican border
I grew up in Telluride, CO skiing six days a week. The town was small, safe, and hidden away in the mountains. I was always outside; I was never supervised. At boarding school in Santa Barbara I got a surf board for Christmas, so I woke up at 5:00 every morning and learned to surf. UCLA was an experience that lacked sleep for me. A lot of class, work, and extra curricular activities didn’t allow me a lot of shut eye. During that time I met Sean, Eric and Kevin, and they’ve completely transformed the trip into something I couldn’t have imagined. They’ve put tons of energy into, and succeeded at, creating a very motivated, green, organized, philanthropic adventure. I’m extremely greatful to them both. I have no emotional bond with Sean. I’ve spent the last week in the bay area and will spend the next week or two around California working on the final preparations. The next chapter starts when we cross that boarder.
I lived in Aspen for the last year splitting time between two jobs. In the winter I was a ski instructor, and when the snow melted I worked in the family business, a green construction company. I made great friends and had my life going extremely well. I was on track. However, if I put this trip on hold I’ll only get deeper into that normal life. Soon enough I’ll have too much responsibility to leave behind. As of now I leave my father’s business, which puts strain on him, but I trained some lackey to take my place in the interim. I leave my younger brother who could use some guidance in his hectic life of soccer on the road, and I leave my girlfriend. It feels like a lot to leave, but this is a life changing adventure, so I’m changing my life to make it work. I can’t wait to surf, be outside all the time, work with different organizations to help people, become fluent in Spanish, and change my whole perspective on sh*t. I’m going to have a hard time dealing with my new diet, which will lack burgers and pepperoni pizza. Don’t sweat the petty – pet the sweaty.
