Meet the team

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

My Grandmother taught me the expression “where there’s a will there’s a way” and she drove home the fact that you should not give up on trying to do something new and with perseverance you can accomplish almost anything. I have also learned that you do not need to do everything alone and that the best results most often come from working together with others to accomplish something even greater than you could have done on your own.

What’s something you’re passionate about?

Leaving the world better than I found it.  Whether designing housing for those in need, volunteering in the community, picking up a random piece of trash while out for a hike, donating at the Red Cross or wiping the counter in the breakroom after making coffee, even the smallest act makes it better for those who follow.

What’s one goal you are determined to achieve in your lifetime?

Horseback ride the Tetons.

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I would love to meet my great grandfather and hear his story firsthand. He was a stowaway on a boat to America, when they found him, they ended up letting him work in the boat kitchen he eventually used those skills and started a long-established deli in Chicago.

What’s a tradition  you cherish in your family?

It’s a little tradition, but it’s repeated almost every week without exception. Every Friday night we make pizza and watch a movie as a family. I’ll make the dough from scratch, and we will mix up the pizza types from week to week. We all grab our favorite beverage and enjoy a little happy hour, the kids will help me stretch the dough and add toppings, and we let the stress of the week fade into the mist. Every now and again we have guests join in the fun and it’s always a good time.  

What’s your favorite dad joke?

“Do you know the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? One will see you later and one will see you after a while.”

What makes the joke so funny (to me) is that people will start to (questionably) tell you the physical difference… then you roll out the punchline.

What is your current favorite book?

The Architecture of Happiness by Alain De Botton

What’s one movie or book that has profoundly affected your life?

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

What’s a talent you have that most people don’t know about?

I’m an accomplished violinist.

What’s a tradition you cherish in your family?

“Moon walks” with my kids. After dark, we go outside for a quick walk down the block to see if we can see the moon and stars.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

The most adventurous thing I have done is a guided three-day sea kayaking and camping trip around the San Juan Islands in Washington State with my wife looking for Killer Whales. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any while kayaking but I did get to see five later in our trip, and I was able to get a few decent photographs of them, which is the primary reason I wanted to do the kayaking part of our trip. It was a great adventure that I would highly recommend and would do again in a heartbeat.

What’s a goal you’ve achieved that you’re really proud of?

Getting through college. As a second-generation immigrant, my parents were prouder than ever that I was able to put myself through school.

If you could learn any skill in an instant, what would it be?

I would learn to play the violin.

How do you like to spend your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family, watching sports – football and hockey in particular, and going for walks

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Success Is 1% Inspiration, 98% Perspiration, And 2% Attention to Detail.

How do you like to spend your free time?

Either working on a creative passion project (Story Writing, Game Design/Modeling, Graphic Design, Wood Working) or exploring a new area around me either in the city or in nature while walking, biking, hiking, camping, or anything on the water.

What’s your favorite way to relax and unwind?

Well, that all depends on the time of year. In the summer months you’ll typically find me on the golf course attempting to break 70 once again (my lowest score ever was a 68) or trying to get my third hole-in-one. Yes, I’ve really had two of them. If I’m not on the course, I’m probably washing and detailing the “hot rod” getting it ready for that weekend’s car show.

In the winter months you’ll usually find me flying down a mountain at 50+ MPH on a pair of skis. Sounds crazy, I know, but the sensation you get at those speeds is incredible. It’s difficult to go very fast in southern Wisconsin as the ski runs just aren’t that long. It’s when we head out to Aspen, Colorado for our annual ski trip in February that you can really cut loose.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Traveling solo at 18 and living in Hawaii.

What Podcast has profoundly affected your life?

Another Name for Everything by Richard Rohr.

If you could learn any skill instantly, what would it be?

Playing the harmonica.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

The most adventurous thing I have ever done is fly deep into the amazon rainforest. There I spent two weeks staying on the river by raft with the dolphins, Monkeys, and sloths. I got to experience indigenous cultures and their construction techniques within one of the most dangerous natural environments in the world.

What’s one goal you are determined to achieve in your lifetime?

Be an architect in Tanzania or Zanzibar.

What’s your favorite way to relax and unwind?

Kicking back in a hammock and just enjoying the outdoors.

Which historical figure would you like to have coffee (or a beer or whiskey) with?

Theodore Roosevelt

Which historical figure would you like to have coffee with?

Vincent Van Gogh

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

I was a foreign exchange student in Japan when I was 16.

What book has profoundly affected your life?

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

How do you like to spend your free time?

Outside of the office, I enjoy reading, boating, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

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