Ben

About me:

So very difficult to describe yourself in a paragraph . . . but I'll give it my best shot!  I'll put some photos (click on them to view larger images) in also because it's hard to describe yourself with just words (unless you're a writer . . . which I am definitely not!!)

Let me start off by saying that I'm just on here looking to meet some cool people . . . nothing more!  In May of 2005 I married my best friend Amy whom I had been dating since 2000.  We got married at Paiute Golf Resort outside of Las Vegas and the day was almost as beautiful as my wife.  I was lucky enough to have my little brother, (although he's not that little anymore) who is a minister, marry us.  It was truly a perfect day.  At the reception all of our friends gathered and I had the opportunity to play Amy a song that I wrote her accompanied by a orchestral quartet.  We had some American Pie, Amy sang and we all danced (minus me).  Like I said . . . a perfect day!!!  Here are a few more photos from that day.

I grew up in a town about 30 miles NW of Chicago named Palatine, IL.  I graduated from Palatine High School in '94 and went to the University of Illinois.  There I graduated with a degree in Integrative & Molecular Physiology in '99.  I DID NOT use that degree and ended up moving to Vegas to work for McDonald's West Division's Creative Services.  A few short months after that, my friend and I decided to start a company named DAV Productions.  That company has grown over the past 7 years and was most recently ranked the 3401st fastest growing privately traded companies in the US by Inc. Magazine. 

I'm the social planner of my circle of friends. I like very much to entertain and have a good time.  Thru my social nature, I've had the opportunity to meet a lifetime's worth of amazing people in 31 years.  The people that I've met and surrounded myself with are "good people" . . . people who enrich people's lives whom they meet.  I've very fortunate to have met my friends.  I hope I can be as good of a friend to them as they have been to me.

When it comes to my "inner-circle", you'll find that I'm extremely loyal to my guy friends, and very protective of my girl friends.  I think that my best quality is that I'm a great friend and an even better listener. I work with most of my best friends (mostly because I hired them). Here's the "DAV Crew" at my birthday party (see right photo). This was taken in Bermuda this year on our annual company trip.  I take the company there once every other year to enjoy each others company and to do some team building!

I just got my new pool built so now my house and backyard is host to many parties.  If you're ever in town during one of my parties, feel free to drop by and join us.  It took 16 months to build and Amy and I are both glad it's over!!!

For work, as I mentioned above, I'm the Partner, Chief Executive Officer of an Event & Media Production Company here in Las Vegas.  It's a really stressful job for me, but one that I'm privileged to do.  I get to run a multi-million dollar organization, work with my best friends who are all experts in their respective fields, and get to do so in the best town in the world.  Our organization is growing 150% per year so you could say that we're doing well.  The best part of our organization is our youth . . . the majority of us are under 32 (average age is 29) so we have youth and creativity on our side.  This same advantage can also be our weakest point also.  Being cognizant of that is what allows us to continue to grow. 

Because of the stress of work, I've found a few ways to relax and escape from life . . . even for just a few hours:

Number 1: Boating . . .

Number 2: Spending Time With Friends . . . if you can combine number 1 and 3 it's even better . . .
(Left:  Skybox at Rain for my 31st Birthday; Middle:  Up in the Million Room at the Arlington Million; Right:  Visiting "W" in DC.)

   

Number 3: Public Speaking . . . I'm not sure how relaxing this is, but it's something I've found I'm good at and enjoy doing.  I've spoken at several high schools and many classes at the University of Illinois.

I hope that this fills you in on me a little more than you knew before!  Let me know if you'd like to chat!