I was born & raised in a small town of 3,500 in northeast Missouri. My grandfather was a farmer and started a metal fabrication business in the 1970’s that my father runs today. I started working for my grandfather when I was 8 or 9 years old, initially doing things around the farm and then moving into cleaning up the shop and eventually helping with some of the fabrication work as a welder. I moved to Columbia, Missouri to attend the University of Missouri and studied business management, assuming that I would move back home to work in the family business, but ended up staying in Columbia for about 21 years. Shortly after graduation I began a career in banking, starting as a new account rep but knowing that I wanted to get into lending. I was fortunate enough to work for a wonderful organization and be surrounded by smart people that took an interest in me and made me look successful. My wife Pamela and I originally came to Estes Park on a day trip from Denver about 15 years ago, and immediately fell in love with the town. Estes Park became where we would go when we had time and opportunity, and in 2015 we purchased a condo with the intent to retire here someday. That is also when I started talking to Bank of Colorado. I brought some dress clothes with me on vacation and introduced myself to Christina Kraft, the Market President, telling her that I was a banker and would like to live in Estes Park someday. We continued that conversation for several years, until in 2019 when a retirement opened up a spot that she thought might be a good fit for me. We moved to Estes Park in September of 2019 and feel fortunate to be here.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My wife Pamela and I have been married for 22 years. We’re both from the same small town in Missouri, and started dating our senior year in high school. The majority of both of our families still live in that area..
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I’ve been in banking since 2001, mostly on the commercial lending side. I work with people on a wide variety of transactions, from buying land and home construction, to business purchases or expansions. I love that people allow me to be a part of an important time in their lives, and that I get to share in their dream. So many of those relationships last for years, and it is gratifying to know that I played a small part in someone else’s success.
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Wow, so many. Bird & Jim, Twin Owl’s, Ed’s, Claire’s, Poppy’s, Notchtop. I could go on, but safe to say that we’re pretty lucky here in Estes.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
We moved here in September of 2019, way before things like pandemic and wildfire. Christina likes to tell me that everything was fine before I got here. I tell her that I prefer to see it as thank goodness I got here when I did.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
I’m not sure that’s a fair question given the number of interesting people I’ve met. If forced to narrow it down to one, I’d say Melissa Strong. Melissa is one of the most driven people that I’ve ever met, and such a hard worker and an example to us all.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I really enjoy North by Northwest, an old Alfred Hitchcock film starting Cary Grant. Also the early James Bond films with Sean Connery.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Thoughts become things. How we choose to see our life determines what our life becomes.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Brownfields is iconic to me. We started purchasing trail tags there when we would visit on vacation, and now note the changing of the seasons by when they open and close for the year.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
Good grief, this is a hard one. Probably Stephen King. I’ve read and enjoyed a number of his books, and he has a connection to Estes Park and the Stanley hotel. If he agreed to have lunch I’d take him anywhere he wanted to go.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
There are so many interesting people here that make me better by allowing me to associate with them. For the most part, I don’t think many people end up in Estes Park accidentally, we’re all here intentionally. Astronauts, olympians, people from all over the world that I can talk to and learn something from.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Hopefully healthy and happy. Right now, I’m exactly where I want to be.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I was Mr. October in the 2007 Hannibal Hunks calendar, which was a fundraiser for a nonprofit back near my hometown. I think the fact that I was voted in says more about the other options than it does about me.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Our team at Bank of Colorado. As I mentioned, I’ve been lucky my entire career to be surrounded by smart, hardworking people that care about what they do, and that has never been more true than right now. I’m fortunate to be around people that make me better.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Lots of good options for this one too, but probably Christina Kraft. If you know Christina, you know that she is calm, competent, and hard working. She sets an example for us all everyday. She also does my review at the end of the year, which is added motivation!
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Safe, warm, Estes Park.