The impact that someone can have on one's life is forever. The impact my dad has had on my life is infinite. My dad is my biggest role model and the person I look up to in everything I do. He inspires so many people by how hard he has worked for everything he has, making his way to the top and succeeding in everything he's done.

As a child my dad had a unique upbringing. His mom, Carol, died when he was two years old from breast cancer. If you were to ask him about her today, he would tell you he doesn't remember her. His dad tried his best to raise him but heavily relied on my dad’s grandmother, Grace, for help watching him. Despite not remembering his mom he named me after her and even though his grandmother died before I was born I was named after her too as a way to show his gratitude for her helping to raise him. 

My dad had to work hard for everything he had and grew up poor. He worked many jobs and had to make sacrifices to save money. He got his wisdom teeth out without anesthesia, just local anesthetic, missed out on opportunities other people had, and had to make the most out of everything he had. Since the age of two golf has been his escape from the world. A safe place to forget about everything else. He worked hard and continued to do what he loved spending all of his free time on the course. 

By the time he was a senior he had 3 D1 offers and ultimately chose to attend Penn State. Coming from a family in central New York this was a big deal. His hard work had paid off and not only got him a scholarship but also an open door to a successful future.

After finishing undergrad with two degrees he went to the University of Georgia in Athens to get his master’s degree. He thrived and within less than 6 months he already had multiple job offers. He decided to become a part of GMR Marketing in Charlotte, North Carolina as an account coordinator in November of 2002 and his career only went up from there.  After being the coordinator for 2 years he was promoted to account supervisor where after 9 months he was quickly moved up to senior account director. GMR realized the talent my dad brought to their team and how dedicated he was. My dad provided important insight and encouraged everyone around him to be the best version of themselves. The value my dad proved he had to the company led them to bring him to headquarters in Wisconsin and promote him to vice, senior vice, and executive president in the span of 9 years. 

Today my dad is the CEO and President of GMR Marketing. My dad has always pushed me to be the best person I can be and has no issues telling me when I am not up to standard. My dad has shown me unconditional love and support continuously for all 17 years of my life and I will be forever grateful. I don’t know what I would do without my dad. All of these qualities he pushes me to exert have allowed him to thrive in the business world and in society as a person. I can only hope that one day I can be the type of person he is.