Eric Corp Email & Phone Number

In hindsight a decision I made in my late teens, early 20's, may have been the right decision after all. Recently, after reading interviews from 50 of the most successful CEO's from companies around the world, there was one commonality to their success, above all others, that stood out to me. This commonality was to 'master the art of abandonment.' Know when a product line, employee, plant, equipment, division, etc. is not working and abandon it. This is what I did when I was 19, one year into college at KU. Back then I was unsure of what I wanted to due professionally and life, in general. So I dropped out of college, did the proverbial ‘one-way ticket to LA' where you are automatically enrolled into 'the school of life.' I met the right person and the wrong person, same person. He took me from the streets of Venice to the hills in the Palisades. I learned things they do not teach in college. Faced by what seemed to be insurmountable odds at the time, I learned to never give up. The difference between cost and value and saw the benefits of one's hard work. After returning to Kansas City I was focused on school. I received my M.B.A. from UMKC. In my junior year I accepted a position with Sears Logistics Services or Sears Catalog. I climbed their corporate ladder and in 1991 I was promoted as the youngest salaried manager in Sears 86 year history before closing in 1993. After corporate life I got the entrepreneurial bug. I built many businesses from the ground up, such as, Promotions Etc. to Premier Pools. The grandest of all was a non-profit company WOW, which was an acronym for World of Work. I then decided I did not want to reinvent the wheel so I looked into franchising. I wisely saw that if I sold a product someone with deep pockets or a better widget could quickly put me out of business. But if I sold a service I could compete with Warren Buffett. I purchased UPS Stores growing from 1 to 7 stores. I then bought into the Juice Stop franchises, owning stores Miami and Gainesville, FL. I then purchased the Master License for Franchising for the entire state of Florida where I was responsible for building the market and marketing their brand. After 30 years of entrepreneurship and corporate life I decided to return to college and finishing another degree in Hospitality and Hotel Management. Until this COVID pandemic I had a goal of purchasing some smaller Selective Service Hotels in the Keys or Colorado mountains where they have a higher summer attractions. I am currently building houses in the Keys until I can figure out my next move.