What were you doing before?

When I graduated from college, I got my real estate license and became a commercial real estate agent. For four years, I was a licensed agent in Phoenix. I made some good money, and a buddy and I decided to start a mountain bike distribution company. For the last five years, I’ve been doing that. It turned into more of a fun job. It just wasn’t lucrative enough to sustain a living since I got married and wanted to have a family. My wife had an opportunity to take a job with Charles Schwab here in Des Moines. So we made a decision to kind of uproot and get started in commercial real estate in the Des Moines area. My family was from the Midwest, originally. She was from Pella. She always knew she wanted to come back here. I knew it when I met her.

Did you ever consider the mining business?

My dad works for the mine; he is a surveyor or slope monitor. It never even crossed my mind, to be honest. It wasn’t an option. My mom is a teacher. I always knew I was going to college. It was just a matter of where.

What was your first impression of Greater Des Moines?

I love the people. They are a lot more friendly, a lot more open. It seems like people are a lot more willing to help you out, to befriend you. It is a lot easier to get connected here. I hear people say that Des Moines is kind of incestuous; it’s really hard to get in. I don’t find that to be true. I feel that people have a very open-door policy with newcomers and make you feel at home. It’s just really easy to make friends here.

What is your specialty?

In Des Moines, you kind of have to specialize in a broader range than you would in Phoenix. But my focus is on Class B and Class C office. I think it is economical, and that’s what people are looking for right now. So it kind of made sense to get rooted in that. The opportunities I had were in that, so it worked out.

What do you do for fun?

I’m a mountain biker. I feel like somewhat of a poser right now since I had to sell my bike before we left. But when you are riding around on a $7,000 mountain bike, you make some sacrifices and use that money elsewhere. I’m in the process of acquiring one, probably in the next couple of years. I’ve got a little commuter bike.

You have a baby on the way?

I’m having twins. We were not trying for kids. My wife and I always wanted kids. We knew that’s why we moved to the Midwest, to raise a family. It’s just at this juncture in my career, it wasn’t the best timing. God has a plan, though, for me, and he knows what’s best, so we’re very happy about it. I’ve always wanted twins. I’m fortunate enough to be blessed with that.

What else can you tell me?

I’m the marketing director for Chick-fil-A locally. Not a lot of people know that about me. When I moved to Des Moines, I needed some instant income. This is a commission business. You don’t get paid anything unless you are closing deals. I do that about five, maybe 10 hours a week. It’s actually been the best career decision I’ve ever made, because it has opened more doors for me in Des Moines.

Have you set any personal or professional goals?

I think you have to have goals. My five-year goal would be to have my wife be able to quit her job and do whatever she wants. … In brokerage, specifically, I would like to have about 50 percent of my transactions be on the tenant representation side and about 50 percent on the landlord representation side, just to have a nice balance. … I have nowhere to go but up. So I’m kind of learning while the market is slow, which I think is the best time to be learning a market. I know real estate. I just need to learn the Des Moines specifics. That’s what I’m doing right now, and I’m having fun. One thing I learned from mountain biking is you always look where you want to go, not where you are going. The second you look where you are going, you tend to run into that tree or go off the trail. If you are looking where you want to go, that is where you end up.