I’m a native Texan who moved to Seattle, Washington in 2002 and has never looked back. As the oldest of four children, son of a preacher, and grandson of an auctioneer, you could say I had it all going for me, or, that my odds were bad from the outset. Either way, life has continued to reward me for some past great deed I cannot recall. My formative years were spent in San Antonio, Texas, to which I am forever grateful for the life experiences. I still have close family and dear friends in SA and I enjoy my occasional visits there. I also spent time in Houston, Lubbock, College Station, and Austin; look up Texas Road Whore, yep, that’s me. In 2002 I left Texas for Seattle with little more than a dream and a small savings account. Seattle’s quick pace, pioneering attitude, eternal spirit of entrepreneurship, and love affair with technology struck a chord in me. Finally, a place that echoed my soul’s vibe and presented a business game I could be passionate about playing. Since arriving in Seattle, I’ve met and married the love of my life and have two amazing children. These life responsiblities have not only contributed to who I am today but have pointed me in the direction of which I'm headed.
Marketing gets me out of bed in the morning but more preciously, I get excited about how to harness technology and big data to better personalize marketing messaging in order to build long term client loyalty. I believe today the first step in successful marketing begins with listening. Listening followed by concise measurement, creative thought, and then creative output. My projects keep me busy and working on things I can be passionate about. While the initial years, after leaving corporate America, were extremely challenging the knowledge alone would have been worth the journey. But the freedom and happiness are immeasurable when you are chasing your dreams. I’m continually inspired by the opportunities the internet and technology worlds present today and to future generations.
But I need to level with you. My secret mistress wears tight pants, is cut from an Adonis form and probably wears too much cologne. Shhh, don’t tell my wife (although I think she's onto me). Sports are my passion and today’s sports scene is a shadow of the sports heroes I idolized as a child. But still I watch, root, cry, and cheer! Getting out and participating in sports or watching my kids play are the only thing better than finding the time to watch. My earlier years on the fields of competition were great breeding grounds for the values of determination and ability to reach further to overcome in the face of long odds.
In 10 years I hope to have the ability to pick the opportunities I call work, have the flexibility to take my family where I want to, when I want to, and still enjoy time with the incredible community of friends I continue to meet. My approach to life is to always keep a smile on my face, focus on the good, honesty is always the best policy, never give up, visualize your future, write down your goals, be good at seeing other people’s perspectives, hold yourself accountable, remain loyal as the day is long, never burn a bridge (unless you never need to pass that way again; in that case build a bonfire to light your path forward), be quick to say I’m sorry, call things as you see it, take chances, live life to its fullest, and above all else, BE REAL. Life + Positivity=Ubertunity -JD
The 4.1.1.
