Robert Carey

Well, here is my story, it's hard to describe it all in only a few words, I moved around the country opening Marriott hotels, I opened call centers for American Airlines, opened licensee locations for Avis Rent a Car and finally got tired of moving so I moved home to New Jersey and worked in Manhattan for a few years as a District Manager for a high end fitness company.

911..........

911 was tough, I turned one of our clubs into a comfort station after 911 and assisted 110 National Guard accommodating their needs with the Red Cross and saw it all from visiting the burning pit with an National Guard Army commander seeing my customers disappear and seeing the impact on downtown it was tragic. The smell was god awful and the commuter trains once full were now empty. The parking lots labeled "no parking overnight" were full. The hardest part was I knew these parked cars were people from my hometown now gone in an instant in a senseless crime. God Bless their families.

My girlfriend at the time was devastated and never really got through it. I am happy to hear she found someone special and seems to be doing better now.

On September 11th at 8:30 am I was walking to the subway terminal in Hoboken, NJ. I was on my way to my office on 30 Wall Street when I changed trains. At 8:35 am I chose to go to "Kinko's" on the midtown train to copy a presentation I was presenting later that morning to our Operations Vice President. I changed trains that morning. I left the downtown train as the doors were closing. Those on that first downtown train on that fateful day never made it.

My family thought I was gone and thank god for my two way pager that was still working. I informed them I was needed in the city and was o.k.. We walked home that day, no cars on the roads only the noise of F16's flying above 6th Ave. It was unusually quiet only the sound of people drinking in local pubs could be heard. 6th Ave is one of the busiest avenues in NYC it was eerie. All eight lanes of a normally bustling with traffic and people were empty. We were walking to my friend's brownstone home with several survivors to say the night. One from Canter Fitzgerald who had shared some stories from a unique perspective as a survivor from Tower One before it fell.

After almost getting killed in 911 , I left Manhattan and began consulting for businesses from 700K to 43 million in annual sales. I moved far from Manhattan to San Diego. CA and loved it! The beaches, places and people were great! The consulting was very rewarding, kind of like being a "highly compensated" teacher. However, the travel was Sunday through Friday in and out of airports in Canada and the United States for a few years had taken its toll.

I had lived in 12 states and 19 different cities. Traveled all over the United States and Canada on projects seeing so many cool places. It was great for me and my new girlfriend at the time. It was exciting, fun and rewarding but all good things must come to an end. I decided to purchase a business and settle down. I purchased a tire company and now live north of the city of San Francisco. The culture, the wine vineyards and the state of California is beautiful.

Meanwhile, I am also diversifying my business investments and joined a start-up Chocolate Distribution Company. (Functional, Healthy Chocolate & new to market) I am growing my business and plan on moving back in early spring to San Diego, CA.

I have sky dived, bungee jumped, white water rafted, been a member of a hot air balloon chase crew and which flew many many times, I have been in a rail dragster, I flown in a bi- plane upside down in circles and many loops, I am working to what is now commonly called "a bucket list". Although I am not dying, its been a passion of mine. My next item is drive a NASCAR race car and since I live near the raceway Sears Point now known as "Infineon Raceway" in Sonoma, CA that is coming soon.

I am an active bachelor who has not found a need to commit yet, close a few times. Oh well getting closer.....:)

Best,

Robert Carey