Interests
The best strategists are relentlessly curious. They pull insights from unexpected places, see patterns others miss, and stay sharp by constantly learning new things. That’s why I’m never just focused on work—I’m always building something, learning something, or exploring somewhere new.
The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for a newer and richer experience.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Sherman Acres (Maple Syrup)
Sherman Acres is our family-operated maple syrup farm in central New Hampshire, where what started as a hobby has turned into a full-scale passion project—and a real small business.
There’s something deeply satisfying about working with the land and the seasons. Every late winter, we tap the maple trees across our property, running lines from the woods directly into our sugar house. When we’re boiling, the air fills with the sweet smell of maple—it’s impossible not to smile. We bottle everything on-site and sell it online, shipping to customers who appreciate pure, high-quality New Hampshire maple syrup.
I love that Sherman Acres gives me an excuse to be outdoors, working with my hands on something completely different from enterprise strategy. It’s also fun to run a small business again—managing inventory, dealing with customers, making product decisions, handling the e-commerce side. It keeps me connected to what it feels like to build something from scratch and manage every detail yourself.
The best part? We’re constantly expanding. Each year we add more taps, refine our process, and experiment with new products like bourbon barrel-aged syrup. It reminds me why I fell in love with entrepreneurship in the first place—you see an opportunity, you build something, and you share it with people who appreciate what you’ve made.
Sherman’s Rockin Illuminations (Animated Holiday Lights)
Sherman’s Rockin Illuminations is my annual holiday light display that’s become a neighborhood tradition—and honestly, a technical challenge I look forward to all year.
What started as a simple idea has evolved into a serious engineering project. I’m talking thousands of lights, synchronized music sequences, custom programming, power distribution planning, and weatherproofing electronics that need to survive New England winters. Each year I add new elements—new lighting technologies, more complex sequences, different effects—which means solving new problems.
The fun is in the technical puzzle. How do you program lights to sync perfectly with music? How do you manage power distribution across that many fixtures without tripping breakers? What’s the best way to weatherproof connections? How do you design something that’s both visually striking and structurally sound enough to handle wind, snow, and ice? It’s electrical engineering meets software programming meets artistic design.
There’s also real creativity involved in building the sequences. It’s not just stringing up lights—it’s choreographing an experience, designing visual rhythms that match the music, creating moments of surprise and delight. I spend hours programming sequences, testing different effects, and refining the timing until everything flows right.
People ask why I invest so much time in it. Simple: it’s an outlet for technical creativity that has nothing to do with corporate strategy. Plus, watching families drive through and seeing kids get excited makes all the problem-solving worthwhile.
Woodworking
I’ve been building things since I was a kid—LEGOs, scrap wood projects, anything I could piece together. These days, I’ve graduated to building furniture for my home and for friends and family who are brave enough to commission pieces.
What I love about woodworking is that it’s pure problem-solving with your hands. You start with rough lumber and a vision, then figure out how to turn that vision into something real. Every project teaches you something new—a better way to join two pieces, how different woods behave, when to use hand tools versus power tools.
There’s also something satisfying about creating something tangible. In my day job, I architect strategies and build programs—important work, but abstract. With woodworking, at the end of the day, there’s a table or a cabinet or a piece that didn’t exist before. You can touch it. You built it. That’s a different kind of reward.
Racing Motorcycles
I’ve been racing motorcycles for over 20 years at the local, regional, and national levels. At my peak, I carried 30+ corporate sponsors and was ranked as a top rider in New England.
Racing teaches you things you can’t learn anywhere else. You’re making decisions at 150+ mph where a mistake has real consequences. You learn to read situations instantly, trust your preparation, and commit fully once you’ve made a decision. There’s no room for hesitation—you either commit to the line you’ve chosen or you crash.
Those lessons show up constantly in my work. The ability to make high-stakes decisions quickly, stay calm under pressure, and commit fully to a strategy once you’ve chosen it—that’s not just useful in business, it’s essential. Plus, the adrenaline rush doesn’t hurt.
Photography
I picked up photography in 2005 and haven’t put the camera down since. What hooked me was how photography forces you to see the world differently—to notice light, composition, moments that most people walk right past.
Photography trains you to look for what others miss. You learn to see patterns, frame things differently, and capture moments that tell a story. Those skills translate directly to strategy work—seeing opportunities in data that others overlook, framing problems in ways that reveal new solutions, capturing the essence of a complex situation in a simple narrative.
Plus, it gives me an excuse to explore new places and spend time in the studio experimenting with lighting and composition. There’s always something new to learn, which is exactly how I like it.
SCUBA Diving
I started diving young and have always been drawn to the ocean, particularly the tropics. Most of my diving has been in Hawaii and the Caribbean, though I’m always looking for new spots to explore.
What I love about diving is how it demands complete presence. You can’t be distracted 60 feet underwater—you have to pay attention to your air, your buoyancy, your surroundings, your dive buddy. It teaches you to stay calm when things don’t go according to plan, because underwater, panic kills.
There’s also something humbling about being in an environment where you don’t belong. You’re a visitor in a completely different world, and you have to respect it. That perspective—being comfortable being uncomfortable, staying calm when you’re out of your element—serves me well when I’m navigating unfamiliar business territory or tackling problems I haven’t seen before.
Certifications:
- Open Water
- Advanced Open Water
- Enriched Air
- Rescue Diver
- Divemaster
Flying
I started flying in 2011 out of Syracuse Hancock airport and quickly became obsessed. What draws me to flying is the combination of technical precision and freedom—you have to follow procedures exactly, but once you’re up there, the possibilities are endless.
Flying teaches you to plan meticulously while staying ready to adapt instantly. Weather changes, equipment issues arise, and you have to make decisions with incomplete information while managing risk. You learn to trust your instruments even when your instincts tell you something different. You develop checklists and systems because your life depends on them.
These aren’t just flying skills—they’re exactly the skills you need when architecting enterprise strategy. Plan thoroughly, stay adaptable, trust your data over your gut, and build systems that work even under pressure.
Current Certificates/Endorsements:
- Commercial Pilot (Instrument – Single Engine)
- High Performance Aircraft
- Complex Aircraft
- High Altitude Aircraft
