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I would want to go back to the Italian Renaissance and watch Leonardo do his thing .
What projects are you currently working on ? At Prolabs we have been in high growth mode for the past couple of years , expanding into new regions and through new channel partners , while at the same time investigating some interesting M & A opportunities . As we have executed our vision we have grown to be a true global partner , one who can work with a school district in South Carolina or a multi-national social media company in Singapore , Tokyo and Sunnyvale . This is a really exciting time in our corporate history , and keeping the balance between growing fast but not so fast that we get ahead of ourselves and forget our core value of being an independent trusted advisor is an exciting challenge .
What qualities do you value in the people you work with ? If I can steal a phrase made popular by Google ’ s Eric Schmidt , I tend to like to work with ‘ smart creatives ’. In hiring , you hire the person , not the resume , and in searching for smart creatives you build a team that is intelligent , capable , and unafraid to take any challenge head on .
Do you have any personal heroes ? In my youth I had plenty of heroes in sports , in the movies , or rock stars , but as I got older my heroes became great leaders form history . Later on still my heroes became business leaders or builders of great companies , but now , maybe because I have met a few of these folks , or maybe because I am just old and cynical , my definition of ‘ hero ’ has evolved . The first responders , the single mother working two jobs so her kids can grow up with a brighter future , anyone in the armed forces who put themselves in harm ’ s way , these are the people that I genuinely consider heroes . Although Joe Montana was pretty amazing .
What are your hobbies / interests outside work ? I am sure many other parents can relate , but for the past decade my hobbies and interests have been any sport my kids are currently playing , which have been many . I do look forward to sending my kids off to university , at which point I will try to remember where I put that fly fishing rod …
Where is your favourite holiday destination and why ? Like many executives who work for global companies , I travel a lot , to a wide variety of places . I love experiencing the great cities of the world , and I love exploring new locations and having new experiences . My ideal spot though is not one particular place , but one that has a few key elements : warm sand , clear water to swim in , a tropical breeze , and palm trees . At times I require certain accessories as well , which might include a fishing pole , a cool drink , even a boat , perhaps some good friends , but it always must include my family .
Favourite : Book ? Film ? TV show ? Singer / band ? My favorite show had been the Daily Show with Jon Stewart , but since it ended the void that remained has only partially been filled by various Netflix series and Ted talks .
If you could travel back to any time period in history which would it be and why ? Only one ? That is a tough call , because I really do enjoy history , and can think of many places and times I would like to see . I would love to witness the great generals during history ’ s greatest battles ( Alexander the Great , Napoleon , Grant and Lee in the American Civil war ), or witness the birth of the American revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence . There are many points in time through history that I would love to see , but if I had to pick just one , I would want to go back to the Italian Renaissance and watch Leonardo do his thing . The amount on innovation coming out of not just that one man but the region as a whole in such a condensed period of time is truly remarkable .
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