Meet your team

Q & A with John:

Why do you do what you do?
Toward the end of my father's life he suffered a stroke and struggled with a lengthy disability before he passed away. After he died I discovered an envelope containing his remaining cash labeled The End of the Rainbow. I kept that envelope and framed it. It drives me. I never want people to be in an "end of the rainbow" situation.

What professional achievement are you most proud of and why?
May 1986 I loaded up the car and left Oregon with my wife and two year-old son. We drove nearly 2,000 miles to Austin, where I had accepted a new job with (then) Shearson Lehman Brothers. To start working as a financial advisor it was mandatory that I pass the series 7 licensure exam. (Today the current average pass rate for series 7 is around 65%.) Needless to say, it was a very proud moment when I learned I had passed the Series 7.

What is the best advice you've ever received?
"Decide to be a positive influence. When you walk away after a conversation, leave folks feeling better than before the conversation started."

What's your favorite place in the world and why?
Silver Falls State Park in the Willamette Valley. Since I was a kid, I have loved hiking the 9,000-acre crown jewel of Oregon's state parks. It is lush and beautiful year round. The 8-mile hike is fragrant with fir trees. It looks and sounds like a rainforest with 11 rushing waterfalls which can be explored from nearly every angle. It is a very special place for our family.

Personal

A Pacific Coast native, John has been a resident of Austin since 1986. He and his wife Joyce have two career-minded children, Nicholas and Christopher. John especially has a passion for Austin's live music scene. He enjoys outdoor creative landscaping, cycling and birding. John has cycled for numerous philanthropic events and is an ardent supporter of charities fighting breast cancer.