It was Called the 80's...
The day had come! November 18th, 1984, and the world was about to change forever; well, my world. You see, this was my literal birth-day. And yes, I’m one of those Gen Y/Early Millennial/ Forgotten Generation Kids. You know, the ones that can assimilate with the old folks, but also (kind of) understand the Gen Z’ers.
My childhood was somewhat anticlimactic; did the normal 80’s kid things I guess. However, the 90’s is where us 80’s kids started to shine. We had the school thing down, got to play SPUD and Kickball with our neighbors without fear of being abducted, hung out at parks unsupervised, we actually trick or treated, not trunk or treated and the summers were absolute magic!
JOISEY!
I grew up in an upper-middle class town in Jersey. We were one of those ‘2 child plus a dog’ family’s. Although, other than the dog, it never really was my scene. About third grade my mom started going back to school and I was kind of left to my own merit. I started getting this sense that I was the middle child. Being ignored, treated like an after thought, forgotten, left out; The usual “middle child” montage. Again, only 2 of us; me and my older sister. I ended up watching a lot of TV and becoming a snacking connoisseur. It wasn’t long before I became the “Fat” kid in school. Unknowing at the time, I guess this was a crucial moment in my life. I continued to gain weight throughout middle school and became associated with the “outcasts.” As you can imagine, all the standard fat jokes applied back in the 90’s; thank god we didn’t have twitter!
The summer between 8th and 9th was fun. I got my first summer job at an Ice Cream place down the shore; Jersey-speak for the beach. Also! Fun side note, my first boss ended up going to prison for selling drugs to minors. And before you go there, I wasn’t one of the minors. Anyway, It was an eye opening experience and I didn’t want it to end. But alas, The school year started and I went right back to being an outcast, except now I had uncontrollable acne. I’m telling you life couldn’t get any better! And just at that moment: POOF! The Overweight Pimpled Outcast gets Braces. (almost sounds like it should be a children’s book) Yeah, 9th grade was a transition year for sure.
I know what you’re thinking, why am I still reading this horror novel?! Well, today is your lucky day Folks. I have reached my first low in life, and I’m about to start digging myself out of it. Cue the rocky theme song! Duh na NAAAH…
Tenth grade arrived, I got my braces off, started getting more into extracurriculars; Boy Scouts, Church, Guitar, Tennis. I began losing some weight and got a first (pre-lesbian) girlfriend. I was off to the races, as they say! By this point I had a few jobs under my belt. After working for the Ice Cream Dealer, I got a job at the local movie theater, then a costume/party event biz and full circle, right back into ice cream; although this time it was a Friendly’s! The whole work/life balance was my jam, you know, before we had to pay bills.
By the end of HS I was really hitting my stride. I had 2 serious girlfriends by that point (not at the same time!) and was the leader of my pack. I got along with everyone. The “cool” kids started thinking I was funny, the nerds respected my intelligence and the outcasts still considered me a friend. Also, I was working afterschool at an architecture firm, getting ready to start my path to Architect. If that’s not a comeback story, I don’t know what is. Life seemed to be headed my way.. and that summer was no different. I had the time of my life, Beautiful girl by my side, my gaggle of friends, did a mission trip to Tijuana, hiked Philmont in NM and hung DTS (down the shore). With the promise of better things to come…the Dream was real Folks.
College came too quickly, but I was excited for the new adventure. Right off the rip I was knocking it out of the park. I fell into a group of great friends, killed my classes and became a peer leader. Something still seemed like it was missing, but I didn’t have time to think about it. They kept you busy at architecture school! After freshman year I took a job working with a GC refinishing basements. I had a ton of fun learning how to build and troubleshoot obstacles; I almost didn’t want to go back to college… (foreshadowing) I ended up doing my first sophomore semester and tried switching to Construction Management. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out; so I took a breather and waited until the fall semester. In the meantime I ended up going back to work for the GC and eventually started Interning for Skanska on a Frank Gehry project at Princeton University. I loved every second of that job, minus the commute; the work was interesting, stimulating and made me feel a sense of purpose. I finally felt at home being around like minded people discussing topics that have always intrigued me.
That next fall I started my Construction Management Degree. I ended up getting through the year, but it still wasn’t as fulfilling as the work. Looking back, I can see that I was not in a good headspace, however in the moment, I kept telling myself that I just wasn’t cut out for school. So I decided to take time off. For the next year or so I couldn’t get out of my own way. I felt I was stuck in a dead-end job, observing people that were caught in a dead-end job, and I realized this wasn’t me! So 3rd time’s the charm! I went back to Architecture and picked up where I left off, as a Thrice Sophomore…
Throughout this go around, I still wasn’t loving the school aspect of things, but I was able to intern at some pretty amazing jobs. I was accepted back to Skanska to work on a Bayer Pharmaceutical plant and eventually the New Meadowlands Stadium; You may know it as the Billion dollar METlife stadium. What an Experience! Towards the later end of the College Stint, I started working for NELCO, a lead-lined door manufacturer. My first go around was in the Design/Engineering and when the internship ended they kept me on and moved me to the project management side as a part-time assistant PM. Work was my happy place.
...And We're Moving on UP!
Finally in 2010 I was done with school! I took a brief stint back home, then started my adult life in Stamford, CT. I moved into a “2nd life” frat house and slept on child sized bunk bed in a small closed off breezeway for a year while I transitioned from a busboy at an Italian Restaurant to an Office Manager at Avanti Systems USA. My Boss there was an English bloke who taught me the importance of being a gatekeeper and doing things for myself. I set up computer programs, phone systems, did estimates, AP/AR, ordered materials, scheduled crews, vendor & client relations, managed travel plans, even dealt with vehicle maintenance and breakdowns. Essentially, as a two-man show, it was a “we need this!” scenario and I was the one expected to get it done ASAP without any training or guidance. However, even though it was strenuous and frustrating at times, it gave me the patience to work with many different types of people in almost any setting. To this day, I am still grateful for the experience and the start to my “Jack-of-all-trade” skill set.
Fast forward 7 months, My best friend and I were in a bad accident. I ended up breaking 5 ribs, my pelvis, my right hip, and a hand (but no one seemed to care about that)… It took quite a while to recover, but thankfully I was able to keep my job and work remotely until I got back, literally, on my feet (make note that this is my 1st time having to re-learn how to walk). I was still with Avanti for another year and half after that. It was when I was denied a raise & promotion that I had to take matters into my own hands. I got another job as a purchasing manager and Avanti Called my Bluff. So, off to greener pastures I went…or so I thought.
#VERMONTLIFE
4 months later, I believe this puts us around September twenty-thirteen, the next company decided to downsize and ended up laying me off. This is about the time I received a small settlement from the car accident and I moved to VT to pursue a more peaceful life. I took the next year off and helped out a friend’s mother; Learning how to be a Vermonter and do homesteader-ish stuff. I realized I was lacking the social aspect of being in such a remote place, so I took a job working Lodging for Okemo Mtn for the 2014-15 ski season. Around the same time, My best friend and I decided we wanted to start a business. So I took what was left of my settlement and poured it into Nut n’ Munch – a mobile market. We learned so much, from the price of things, to POS equipment and software, to taxation and legal documents, setting up and maintaining vendors, and of course, How to tow a trailer…and Tie things down. (2 fridges later) There is no better way to learn business like jumping head first into a start-up! For 2 years we did fairs and festivals, but after the first season, we realized it wasn’t a full time gig, and I had full time bills to pay! So, back to the construction industry I went…
Zero to Hero
June of 2015 I was hired by O’Raine and Sun Painting to work part time in the office. Over the next 5 years I took that business from making a couple hundred thousand to almost 2 million. I went in there with my guns blazing and didn’t look back. A key part to our success was consolidating all of our storage units by purchasing a place of our own. I found a gem of a space with a shop and 4 rental units. This not only gave our growing crew something to do in the off season by renovating and adding units; but it was also bringing in over 40k of annual revenue. If only I had bought it myself! Nonetheless, with the freedoms the owner gave me, I was able to learn a whole new skillset along with honing all my Avanti knowledge. This is about when my Resume kicks in!
After I had O&S fine tuned, I was able to set up a schedule that allowed me to work around some of the things I was passionate about. I started walking dogs at the local humane society. I also became a mentor to a 12 year old Tyler through the Mentor Connector and soon after that was asked to start an Advisory board there to plan programs for the matches to attend. Again life was going great! Good Job, I was looking for houses, I had a solid footing in the community, Life was reaching new highs! And just as you suspected…. Life got better! I purchased a Home near a Lake, got myself every rural man’s dream, a pick-up truck! and then the quintessential dog. But after that… AGAIN! Life got even better. I was able to start working part time at the Mentor Connector as a Youth & Family Coordinator; helping others achieve their goals is a HUGE passion of mine. I feel so fortunate to have a mind that can observe, assess and derive, why shouldn’t I use it for good.
It was a solid 2 years of Ry on the Up and Up Before the talks of COVID Loomed in the air. However, It wasn’t the One-Nine that scared me. You see, late 2019 I was having trouble with my strength and balance. So in February of 2020 I finally went to the ER and got an MRI. Lucky for me, They found a Tumor… I say lucky, because I was being facetious. There was a small tumor growing in the T3 area of my spinal cavity. The weakness came from the growth pressing against my spinal cord and cutting off the pathways to the lower extremities. So onward I went to Dartmouth where I went under the knife. They successfully removed 90% of the tumor. They left 10% so as to not hurt the spinal cord. However, they knew it was slowly going to grow back and it would need to be removed again in the future. Post Surgery I was sent to rehab. I was there for about a month, Learning how to re-walk (for the second time) and then went home where I continued to gain strength and mobility.
Guess
who's Back, Back
Again...
Whilst this was happening with the tumor, COVID was running rampant throughout the nation. Soon after I got home from Rehab, the construction industry dried up and we were no longer able to meet with matches on the mentor side of my life. I was laid off of both of my jobs with the foreseeable future up in the air. So I made the decision to rent my house and move to the place that I knew they couldn’t afford to slow down; New Jersey.
For those of you that know me, NJ and I have a love hate relationship. But I moved in with my Best bud and we made it work. I ended up getting my dream job as an estimator for a GC. But, sadly that only lasted a year. I loved every aspect of the job; and not to toot my own horn, I was good at it! My downfall came when the owner let his paranoia get the best of him and started putting cameras behind all of our desks. My work ethic is second to none, so, I draw the line at distrust. A week later I had secured another job at ConcreteWorks East.
This was a fun job. I started as a Jr. Estimator to get in the door, and basically took on the role of Lead Estimator. In my second year I was promoted to Estimating/Sales Manager. I enjoyed learning something new and being able to use my expertise to help them grow as well. They mainly worked with GFRC which uses molds to form complex shapes. Thinking in 3D, I got to use all parts of my mind and knowledge. It seriously took some outside the box antics to make some of these designs work, but we always found a way to break it down, get it priced, and sold. Just before my second year, I was able to negotiate moving back home to VT and working remotely. Although, I would come into the office once a month for client and staff meetings. In October 2023, my tumor had come back and I was unable to get down to the office. As you can imagine, the owner was not happy that I was having to continually reschedule meetings and I was (sadly) let go to pursue my health.
I Finally was able re-up my insurance in December and I went to the ER to start the fun process of Tumor Removal 2.0. A week later, I woke up from the table not being able to feel or move anything below my chest. And, although I have since gained back a good amount of movement, the damage to my spinal cord is deemed irreversible. I still have hopes that I may walk again as everyday I am feeling stronger and noticing more abilities. It is just taking way longer that I could have imagined!
This leaves us with today. I am currently trying to get back to some type of normalcy. For me I have always found solace in learning new things and being part of a team that strives towards being the best.
REACH OUT TODAY!
