I am one of those weird people that grew up in Manhattan, KS and decided to attend school in Lawrence. There is a bit of a story that brought me to KU, but the short version is my wife wanted to attend dental hygiene school in Kansas City…so we ended up in Lawrence!I started college with the idea of becoming an engineer, and found I really enjoyed mechanical design and gravitated towards mechanical engineering. After building and racing a formula car for our senior project, I was sure I wanted to be an engineer and design cool stuff.During my time at KU, I had an internship with a company called Custom Energy. We helped clients save money through energy efficiency solutions and often used those savings to address a wide range of facility concerns. I enjoyed this job, in particular the client interaction and solving our clients’ problems.About a year after graduation, I decided I wanted to pursue more of a design engineering role, and found a job designing aircraft at Cessna in Wichita. While at Cessna, I realized the most enjoyment I got in my job was working directly with clients to solve their problems. Eventually, after getting an MBA and moving back to KC, I ended up back in the industry where my career began. In 2013, I jumped at an opportunity to join a colleague who had started his own Energy Services Company. At Navitas, we create customized facility solutions to meet our clients’ specific needs. Typically, we find ways our clients can save money in operations and utilities, then utilize those savings to pay for needed facility projects. I enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit of a small company, which allows us to be creative in both meeting the specific needs of our clients, and in how to pursue new business. I also have begun to invest in a few of my own business ideas, from real estate to other interesting ventures – ask me about them! I’m always eager to discuss business together, whether for my role at Navitas or other investment ideas!