Before becoming the successful CEO of several innovative, award-winning and profitable companies, I started out just like everyone else — at the bottom. Never a stranger to hard work, I toiled as a NYC garbage man, with no college degree, hustling to pay the bills. After losing many loved ones in series of tragic events, I took stock of my life and future. Young and determined, I took the first steps toward change.

At the age of just 22, I opened my first restaurant. Through sweat, blood and tears, I learned what it took to run a business. Fast forward two decades: I am very happy. The journey to this point has been long and winding, with successful business ventures in multiple industries along the way. Each endeavor was an opportunity to learn, evolve, inspire and lead, and to forge meaningful, long-lasting relationships that I still treasure.