Tell us a little about yourself:
Well, I was originally born in Florida but I grew up in Connecticut and was there for middle school through after college. I’m 50 years old and live here in Manhattan Beach with my wife, Amanda, and our two kids. I went to Eastern Connecticut State University and graduated with a degree in Business Marketing. After graduating college I moved out to California and I’ve been here since 2000. Originally, I had a lot of crappy sales jobs before starting our company, Elite Adventure Tours.
Tell us a little about your family:
I’m doing everything in reverse order. A lot of my friend’s kids are going in to college as we speak and I have a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old….and I’m done. My wife, Amanda, is carefully tending to the smallest one right now and otherwise she helps me run our company. We actually work really well together and we’re fortunate for that. We originally knew each other for years through work, the concierge community, and it was just the right time right place that we happened to come together.
Where and how did you start Elite Adventure Tours:
I originally wanted to move to Hawaii and start a tour company there and I set out on a very aggressive path to do just that and in a short amount of time realized how great the barriers to entry were there. Interesting enough, I also quickly realized that what I was trying to do there, ie very private, curated, experiential type excursions for individuals and families, was actually more needed here in Los Angeles. At the time there were probably two companies doing what I wanted to do and I just thought, we can do it so much better and we really set out to take it to the next level. We entered the market just doing ground tours in 2005 and over the course of the next 10 years people would start calling us for experiences that no one was doing…celebrity meet-and-greets, landing helicopters on buildings, and just getting requests from clients for highly curated experiences. It wasn’t unusual that someone would call me with a request and I would say, “Yeah, sure we can do that,” then hang up the phone and say to myself, “Ok, how are we going to do that?”, and I think that has been key to our evolution.
What do you love most about what you do:
Creating memories for people. I have thousands and thousands of photos of the excursions over the years and I look back frequently at all of the amazing memories we and our clients have created and shared. We tell our tour guides that there is a sense of responsibility in facilitating the creation of these memories for our clients and if that is something that doesn’t excite you, or you don’t want to be a part of, then this probably isn’t the job for you.
You help people check off items on their bucket list, what’s on your bucket list?
I just want to do a lot of the things I’ve done already, but with my kids now. I want them to have all of these amazing experiences, be around different types of people, and take it all in. It is exciting for me to think that they will have the opportunity to experience so many different things at a young(er) age, many of which I didn’t get to do until I was an adult.
You’ve mentioned that you like to journal, what did you journal about this morning?
My journal prompts me to journal in the morning and the night and today it asked me what am I excited about today? I said I was excited to come speak with you, spending time with my family today visiting Veteran’s Park and having a picnic, and then tackling some work items. The journal is created by the author of “High Performance Habits,” by Brendon Burchard. I haven’t told too many people this but when I started it I was kind of having a heart-to-heart with myself and my little trick is that every time I get the new journal I like to write a little note to my daughters and I want to believe that one day they will read it. It inspires me and hope that one day they do indeed read all of them.
What advice would you give to people about life, work, anything…
Never say never. There were things in my 20s and 30s that I would have said no to, and that has completely changed as I’ve gotten older. It has completely changed as I’ve met different people in my life, experienced new mentors, and wished that I had some of those influences when I was younger in life. I still have to actively work to counter the, “I would never…” instinct.
Where do you see yourself five or ten years from now?
My goals have become simple in life, especially starting a family later than most. I just want to be healthy and happy, enjoying my family and being present with them.
What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in Manhattan Beach or the South Bay?
We tend to love anything from the Simms Group, love Fishing with Dynamite, Love & Salt. There aren’t too many we don’t like in Manhattan Beach.
How long have you lived in Manhattan Beach?
We have been here for 6 years, the last 2 being in Liberty Village.
Something unique about living in our community?
I guess it’s true of all of the South bay but Manhattan Beach in particular is how it is this hodge podge of a corner house that is 6,000 sq.ft. and then the 1920s beach cottage and vice versa. I find it to be unique because it brings together a lot of different types of people at all different stages of their lives.
If you could choose anyone that is alive today, and not a relative, who would you choose to have lunch with and where would you take them locally?
Jordan Peterson and Arthur J. Jordan Peterson is an author that does speaking engagements and I can just listen to him talk about anything forever and I don’t know why I know this, maybe I saw it somewhere, but he has a very high consumption of beef so the Arthur J would probably be a great fit!
First concert you ever went to?
I’m embarrassed to admit this but…Milli Vanilli. (Interviewer: Are you sure you want this to be public?). It wasn’t my favorite concert but my favorite concert that I ever went to was when I was 19 and Garth Brooks was playing in Central Park. It was the largest concert ever in Central Park and you had to get there the day before, sleep in the park overnight, and I slept on the street in Manhattan with fans from all over the country. Still to this day I get chills when I listen to the live album.
What is something interesting that most people do not know about you?
I can chirp like a bird. (For those reading, I WISH you could hear the audio because for a second Tony turns into a bird).
Who inspires you to be better?
I would have answered differently three years ago, but now it is definitely my wife and daughters.
And lastly, perhaps the most important question…peanut butter…chunky or smooth?
Chunky.
