In 2013, my family moved to Coeur d’Alene from Northern Virginia. I wanted my children to grow up in an environment and culture similar to my childhood. My wife and I have never looked back. We love this community. In 2019 I became Sheriff Bob Norris’ Campaign Manager and am now a special deputy advisor to him.

 

As a Washington D.C. area native, I attended the University of Maryland and later earned my MBA from Marymount University. During college I worked at a gun shop where I became knowledgeable about the challenges facing our 2nd Amendment. I developed an immense appreciation for what the 2nd Amendment means to our people and how important it is that we preserve it for future generations, which is why I'm a steadfast supporter of organizations dedicated to preserving this Right. During that time I also joined the 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland Army National Guard and was Honorably Discharged in 1993.

 

My Early Career

After college, I began my career as a marketing assistant at a firm that marketed shopping center, lifestyle data and analysis. The company later purchased Carfax. I then moved into the world of financial publishing as a marketing manager for both Louis Rukeyser’s Mutual Funds and Stephen Leeb’s Personal Finance newsletters.

 

Only a few years later I approached Ric Edelman, the New York Times bestselling author of The Truth About Money and nationally syndicated radio and TV personality, about launching a national personal finance newsletter, Inside Personal Finance with Ric Edelman, which we did. I also became its Managing Editor.

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My Time at BlueHippo

Thereafter, I was hired at what was supposed to be a business development firm (Qfirst Group), to develop national consumer businesses. During my third and final year the firm started a company, called BlueHippo Funding, to sell and finance computers to the rent-to-own market. It didn’t take long for me to recognize that it was heading in the wrong direction with thousands of dissatisfied customers. I resigned in May 2004, a mere 14 months after it was started, despite being offered 10% then 25% ownership. I never profited off of the company. Later, I founded a similar business with the intention of making satisfied customers. Over five years after I resigned (and having provided assistance to regulators, along with aggressive Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement actions), BlueHippo filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2009 and the sole owner was ultimately fined about $13 million.

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My Own Pathway

Just over three years after starting my business, I was able to grow it to just under 200 employees and full-time equivalent third-party staff. Along with developing my own radio and TV advertisements, I also developed my company’s software platform, which includes significant Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system and third-party service provider integration. Today, the company has served hundreds of thousands of customers and offers over 15,000 consumer goods from which to finance.

 

Personal Interests

They include racing cars (late '80s BMW E30s and a Formula Ford) and spending time with my wife and boys. Before that I was a competitive fencer in both Foil and Sabre, winning local, regional and national medals, including 1st place for the Inland Empire Divisionals in 2014.

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