I am currently the General Manager of one of the largest ice and water distribution companies in the American southwest. Based in California and with offices across three states, I oversee all financial, operational, legal, and merger/acquisition activities of the company. I am extremely proud of our continued success and so thankful for our amazing employees and customers. Immediately prior to this role, I was a highly successful business consultant, focusing on financial and operational metrics in small to mid-sized, family-run businesses across the US. In that role, I came to develop my passion for employee and customer empowerment practices as tools for greater operational efficiency and financial performance, which I am currently using as the basis for my doctoral dissertation. I began my career in Alaska in the early 2000s after receiving my undergraduate degrees in economics and mathematics at Indiana University. I quickly opened my first of eight companies, spanning the business spectrum from wholesale and supply chain logistics to government contracting and retail operations. I obtained two master’s degrees in project management and business management over the next few years and became an adjunct professor at a local university to teach entrepreneurship and business. My students' success stories in business are some of my proudest moments. As a husband and a father of two amazing adult kids, I enjoy traveling the world with my wife in my spare time. I continue to run a small consulting company and teach business courses at the local university for fun.