My passion for the outdoor living industry started when I was in junior high with a neighborhood lawn mowing business. I continued that business into high school by partnering up with another friend. We developed a portfolio of about 150 residential and commercial accounts that we maintained until soon after graduation and then sold the business.After high school I continued my entrepreneurial path in several endeavors, including working with my father in the private equity industry. Together, we advised and raised money for a variety of start-up and early stage technology companies through our network of angel investors. We even ventured into founding our own internet company that was acquired in 2000.Having learned a substantial amount about starting and raising money for small businesses, I wanted to merge that experience with my passion for the outdoor living industry by starting a design/build outdoor living construction company - thus Tejas Outdoor Living was born. Tejas Outdoor Living specialized in building backyards - everything from landscapes, hardscapes, swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and fireplaces. We fought through the recent hard times in the housing industry and the economy as a whole, and emerged on the other side by developing products for building outdoor living spaces that created significant efficiencies in they way we did business.In 2009, I decided to take the products we developed as design/build contractors to the masses by starting Tejas Originals. Tejas Originals manufactures ready-to-finish outdoor kitchen and fire feature products under the rtf systems brand. The rtf systems products are sold nationwide through a network of wholesale distributors.My next venture in the outdoor living industry began in November of 2014 with the founding of Outdoor Living Products Group. OLPG manufactures and distributes a variety of backyard products for both the contractor and DIY markets.