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We hired a new entitlements and design manager and wanted to introduce him here on our blog, so we asked him to respond to a few questions so you can hear him in his own voice. He’ll be posting his own content pretty soon.

You’ve worked here for a couple weeks now. How would you describe it?
Passionate about life and people. Passionate about their work, and they know how to have fun.

How long have you lived in Sacramento? What brought you here?
My wife (Cassie) and I have been in Sacramento for about 10 years now. We heard about the cows…

Anything funny happen this week?
I heard my 4 year old daughter spontaneously act out a line from a movie, and did it flawlessly.

Who inspires you. Why?
People that are genuine. You get what you hear.

You’ve got family. We love families. Tell us about them.
My wife cracks herself up. She says something funny (according to her) and then laughs about it hysterically continuously. She has the most beautiful smile. She is a avid writer. My son Ethan (6 yrs. old) is the most compassionate guy on earth. He cares for everything and everyone, but you can always distract him with a bag of Doritos and anything Star Wars related. My daughter Claire (4 yrs. old) loves to dance, color, draw and no matter how full she is from a meal, somehow always has room for string cheese. Her best friend is her brother.

What are you into these days?
Really, just trying to better educate myself and my family regarding the whole eco-urban way of life, and how it affects the little things in our day to day living. Also, finding creative ways to date my wife.

Which of our core values do you have the strongest connection with. Why?
“We believe that our responsibility as developers is first to the community and future generations.” I believe this is one of the values of LJ Urban that is a cornerstone in all we do. How we build determines what we build, today and for our future generations. The focus is on people and creating a better quality of living. Everything that is established and develops in the years to come can be determined today.

What gets you excited about creating eco-urban community? Why is this personally important to you?
To me, nothing compares with urban living. I grew up most of my life in urban areas and I have to say that urban living outweighs any other types of lifestyles when it comes to community richness. Seeing the increase of housing developments that only contributes to buying land and building houses wrapped up in the “American Dream” with no preoccupation of the vital elements that actually make up a neighborhood, and allows community awareness, causes me to search out ways in which I can contribute to create and sustain eco-urban neighborhoods. I am excited that I have that opportunity with LJ Urban. I am not an expert, but I am willing to do what it will take to contribute to a “better-sustainable” living outcome. I want to help create neighborhoods that draw people together, not push them out to the peripheral. People buy neighborhoods not houses. People not only want a “roof” over their head, but a neighborhood to live in, for their family, for their children’s children. My hope is that, because of the work I do, I will be able to see in my lifetime, our Sacramento Urban core thrive with the true American Dream: Neighborhoods that are vibrant with life and activity centered around people and sustainable community living.

Anything in your personal life that you are doing (or working on) to try and make the world a better place.
Trying to come up with new concepts to re-create what has been lost in our city and urban LIFE in general. Being alive and taking up space is one thing, LIVING life is another. Being able to live life to the fullest is like opening up a gift, and I believe a big part of that is found in community. What I mean is that life cannot be experienced outside of “people” (community, friends, etc…). In terms of eco-urban living, this kind of community-based culture lends itself to make these possibilities a reality. I can’t stop thinking about how we can provide ways for people to be able to live a better quality life (i.e. remarkable housing, community-centered neighborhoods with diverse people, amongst some). When I look at my life, I am constantly asking myself, “What kind of impact am I making on the people around me. Am I contributing to the overall wellness of the community and opportunities for people to live and experience life in the place they dwell?” I want to do what I can to make a person’s “world” a better place, which will make the world a better place.

None of us do this perfectly. Got any eco-urban confessions?
Are Doritos eco-friendly? What about Venti Carmel Macchiato with an extra shot at Starbucks?