The beginning...

I did not want to leave Colorado, after all... it IS God's Country - no doubt about it. I just finished my second divorce. My first wife moved back to Sioux Falls, SD to be closer to family. I thought it was best for my two daughters to move there. I was wrong. I was driving my new Tropic Emerald Green Metallic Mazda B-Series Truck (Drive by Satellite was on the radio)

It was July of 1997. I decided upon Phoenix as my Mother and Brother lived there. I also had two uncles living in Tucson. My grandmother, RIP, Edna F. Koenig lived in Tucson until her passing in 1991 at the age of 91. She was so special. I wish that I had more time with her. The distance kept us apart. I wrote her so often I can still recite her address 27 years later.

I had scoped it out previously, and had chosen Copper Creek Apartments at Southern and McClintock (now Talavera I think). Not the nicest or newest - but nice. It was amazing to be in the Valley of the Sun. I knew something awesome was on the horizon. I just did not know what.

I had a job all lined up thanks to my good friend Scott Buffum. ACE Collections handled multiple clients. I was assigned to Montgomery Wards. Things went well for several months until Christmas arrived. I was scheduled to receive a $1700 bonus two days before Christmas. When I received it, it had been reduced to $200. Wow. Not a great Christmas for my girls, but it was an Awakening.

I had been car pooling with three other guys. An ACE manager named Alan, and also Steve Graham who worked in the same bank building at 3550 N Central Avenue, also the home of Alexi's Grill. Steve would tell me this hard to believe stories about the company that he worked for called New Strategies. He told me about Don Lapre, and how he was a TV Infomercial Superstar! I had never heard of him, but he was actually quite well known by late night TV viewers. He had the late night TV Show 'Making Money' which was shown on many stations all over cable during the early morning hours.

I had always worked in a somewhat secure work environment - Citibank, Colorado National Bank, MCI,etc. The thought of going to a commission based job scared the crap out of me, but after going through back to back divorces (too young, too soon), I made an executive decision and took a leap of faith. One of the best decisions of my life!