I uncomprimisably believe that everything happens for a reason...from the first few years of my life when I lived with my grandparents to today in my search for a new career. Here are a few higlights in chronological order:
- my excursion to the buliding site where the elementary school that I would attend with my best childhood friend. (I was 3 years old, and yes, I got spanked and verbally reprimanded)...
how I loved large earthmovers as a child
- player on undefeated football and baseball teams
- my excursion to 8 different European countries with United States Collegiate Choir. I was one of 250 people selected from the U.S. and Canada. Some highlights are singing the National Anthem from the top of the Eiffel Tower on July 4th, 1993, spending 4 days with a host family in Holland...eating pudding with every meal, experiencing Amsterdam and the red light district with the eldest son, drinking Heineken (18 in fact, in a day), biking thru Chamonix, France, walking the streets of London, seeing "Cats", and meeting a lovely young girl from Washington State
- being a mediator for my mother and father's divorce, missing a final exam in college as a result and getting my first large traffic ticket (104 in a 65 mph zone, fleeing and eluding, and endangering a Maryland State Troopers welfare.) Not pretty, but I revieved probation
- played for the Frostburg State University Bobcats as a running back ( My teammates nicknamed me "Rudy"...my first 4 semesters of grades suffered). Coach Steven said that I had more heart than anyone he has ever coached...I still do
- gave up football and focused on studying psychology, was named the Oustanding Psychology Student of the Year in 1999
Graduated in 2000 with a B.S. in Psychology
- began a career in finance with Edward Jones in the "Star City of the South", Roanoke, VA, as an investment representative. I was the youngest broker in my region ever hired at 24 and built a successful practice under the tuteledge of a mentor who I still regard as a friend and personal advisor, Skip Brown. This position offered me a particular perk, paid dinners; where I developed an introductory affinity for the finest beverage in the world...WINE!
- moved back to my college hometown, Frostburg, Maryland and joined a local bank
- Started my own investment advisory business in 2004, Pinnacle Asset Management Group, with a great office location in the old post office building, now District Court. I remodeled my office from top to bottom; but eventually failed as I had too many irons in the fire at this point in my life and I hired two finance graduates right out of college with large aspirations for the business, but incredibly low work ethic.
- moved to Frederick, Maryland where I currently reside. I joined Ryan Homes. Was trained, obtained the highest competency score for the entire Washington Montgomery division since 1998, (my score was only matched) and began selling $1 million dollar homes in Potomac and Rockville, MD. While my intentions were good, with sales down 15% from the prior year and a rising federal funds rate, my buyer was sitting on the sidelines waiting for "Big Ben", to set the cost of borrowed money. I was terminated along with 499 others due to a "challenging business environment".

As I mentioned before, I believe all things without a hint of doubt, happen for a reason, and so I am "going to the matresses" with a renewed enthusiasm and a new zest for life. More on my new endeavors to follow...