At age six I was introduced to ice skating and the piano. By age 9, skating 4 hours/day and playing piano for maybe 20 min.
At age 12, training 6 hours/day for figure skating and favored to win Easterns Championship (best on the East Coast of US), our van was stolen with my skates in it. I competed with new blades but fell on my Double Axel (one of only a few doing this at this time) which dropped me to 4th place. That was it for figure skating, switched to speed skating becoming Easterns Champion, then on to hockey. After a Four-year Letterman at Don Bosco Prep, NJ. (first freshman to play varsity) received a scholarship to New Hampshire College for hockey (again being the first freshman to play varsity).
As for the piano, I played and performed recitals, instructed by a Julliard School of Music graduate. At age thirteen my spot was at the end of the recital now, no longer the 30 sec. piece for 8-10 year-olds, now I had a 3.5 min. performance. I did not practice like I should have (teenager) when I started to play after about 30 sec. forgot the rest. What did I hear in the silent auditorium? "Oh my God, he forgot his piece" my mom. Left the stage and never played again .
Upon retirement I started to play again, now you're all caught up.
In Seven years my students rose to National titles, even developing the first Jr. World Champion from the State of Florida. As Skating Director of the Tampa Bay Skating Academy I grew the skating school to become the largest Learn to Skate School in Florida a record that still stands today. It was an interesting time and I enjoyed the students I taught as I watched them grow into outstanding citizens becoming Stars in ice shows, sports doctors, Broadway actors. Then things changed with parents not wanting the kids to "work too hard, don't go so fast." the years of developing champions were over.
Along with Susan, started Global Synthetic Ice (2004) and Created Super-Glide growing the Synthetic Ice Industry we see today. Prior to the development of Super-Glide, all plastic rinks failed. Super-Glide became known as the best in the World, selling to over 25 countries. In the US, Super-Glide became the training tool for NHL players to become stronger than ever before with endorsements from Hall of Fame players Marty St. Louie, Mark Messier. Olympic Champion Oksana Baiul. Sold the company in 2020 after 20 years. Thousands of rinks are still being sold around the World today.
My Senior year at University of South Florida I started my first company (Venture Enterprise) that printed the name of the business on lighters. They purchased 50 lighters and the stand for $75. They sold the lighters for $1 and get their money back giving them Free Advertising. I traveled Tuesdays and Wednesday selling, averaging three businesses per day, Bars, nail salons, shoe stores were some of my customers. I hired one of my friends to print the lighters due to the amount of sales. Once I had all the local businesses I had to travel farther and that is what stopped this business.
After graduation, The next product for Venture Enterprise was a round beach Towel that you did not have to move, just spin on it. Then I added a rope around the edge and at the end of the day throw everything on the towel, pull the rope and it becomes a giant beach bag. Cost was a problem but I got it in the local surf shop and travel to Miami to try to get it made. Not able to get the cost down I thought maybe I should just sell the idea to a company like JC Penny? I gave up then 6 months later I read "Woody Harrelson sells round Beach Towel to JC Penny for $1 million. I learned I had a good idea just not the connections.
At first I lived on a 21' Proline Cuddy Cabin, was supposed to be for a few months as I along with a Carpenter rebuilt a 28' Carlyle Cutter. Well, that took a year but finally splashed "Waterfront property" into the water. 2004 met Susan and designed and built a Houseboat 11' by 40', then finally moved onto a 44' Symbol in 2014. over this time period had over 23 boats, Including Fun Zone when I met Susan.
Bars at the Beach sold pitchers of beer but sitting in the sun they did not stay cold. I had the idea of neopreme to wrap around the picture after a week I had a product and sold it to Palm Pavilian. The owner tested the cooler in the sun and said "It works" got a $100 bar tab which lasted the summer at Happy hour.
After giving up on Coaching Figure Skating I took a 4 week trip on my boat to the Florida Keys to reflect on what was next. On my trip I go in a bar in Fort Myers, FL. and their are two others and a bar tender. It was quiet and the bar tender pulls out this game from England called Shut box. We played and everything changed, we were now having fun and turned out to be a good night. I went back to my boat and immediately started to work on getting the game smaller, more portable. When finished I sold the game at the Pier on Clearwater Beach, Fl. The first day at the Pier (Tuesday) I did not sell any, but they all said it was a slow day. I went back on Saturday and sold out before Sunset. I was leaving and the lady in charge said you cannot leave this early you have to stay till the end. I said "I sold out, need to go make more games." she said "Oh, I guess then you can leave then". Had a great time selling the game but then came Super-Glide.