Where did you grow up? How long have you lived in the area? Tell us about your family

I’m originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but I’ve lived outside of the state longer than I lived there at this point. I joined the Air Force and was gone for six years and then moved to Arizona in 2011. My family is still in Michigan and it’s very small. 

Tell us about the events that led up to where you are now…

In 2006, I joined the Air Force and was stationed in Texas, Washington DC, and Okinawa, Japan. I got to travel all over the world, Asia, Europe, Hawaii, and the continental US as well. When I separated, I used my G.I. bill to go to ASU and I graduated with a BSE in Aerospace Engineering. From there, I got a job at Boeing. We’re up until this past year. I’ve worked in various positions, including software development and senior leadership positions. In May 2023, my wife of two years and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. We were super happy and excited to welcome our son and start the next chapter of our lives, but that was all ripped away when she passed away unexpectedly from a very rare but fatal complication during childbirth called an amniotic fluid embolism or AFE. She was perfectly healthy with no complications, and unfortunately, with this condition, it’s totally unpredictable and there’s no way to test for it. One moment she was fine and the next minute all of her systems went into catastrophic failure. They had to do an emergency C-section and my son was born unresponsive. They were able to resuscitate him and airlift him to another hospital in downtown Phoenix, where he spent the next two weeks in the NICU. He has since made a full recovery, but my life has been forever changed in every way imaginable. I don’t have family in Arizona for support, but I do have the dream that Courtney and I had which was to own a business where we could create our own schedule and build a lifestyle that would allow us to spend more time together and with our family. I no longer prioritize having a 9 to 5 working for a large corporation and I’ve given all of that up to start fresh and make something that I can hand down for generations.

What is your business, how/why did you start your business?

Five Star Painting. My dream has always been to own my own company and painting has always been something that I’ve enjoyed on the side, so naturally, it was a perfect fit. I have the attention to detail to ensure the highest-quality outcome and the leadership experience to hire the best talent and manage projects of any size.

What is unique about your business?

Five Star Painting is a residential and commercial interior and exterior painting company that specializes in high-quality work without the high price. With this company, you’ll work directly with me throughout the whole project and have the best communication of any contractor you’ve ever hired. My painters have been doing this for 25 years and can handle any job, anywhere, at any time, we offer free estimates, financing options, and flexible payment terms. We’re also part of a larger group of home services called Neighborly within that family of companies. We can take care of everything from window washing to electricians to plumbing, lawn care, and many more.

Given your business expertise and the nature of what you do, what advice can you offer to the residents?

The best advice I can give is to not wait too long to paint your home. If you notice chalking- which is when you touch the side of your house and it leaves a chalk-like residue on your finger- that’s a sign that the paint is failing and will no longer effectively protect the surface of your home. It can result in the deterioration of the substrate, and it will need to be thoroughly cleaned and re-primed, which will be more expensive the worse it gets. We also do a lot of door trim repair or replacement around exterior doors, which commonly rot in the Arizona climate.

What else should we know about you, your family, or your business?

My wife and I really love real estate, just being around houses in different neighborhoods was always fun. We used to drive through Val Vista Lakes to look at the lake and the clubhouse and dream of living in an area like that someday. Right after we got married, we bought a cabin up north in Pine, Arizona. This was our happy place that we could escape to on weekends in the summer months and cozy up next to the fireplace and enjoy some snowy weather in the winter months. I now Airbnb the cabin because I don’t make it up there as much and it’s hard to be there without her. Once my son is old enough to enjoy it, I’ve no doubt he will absolutely love the cabin as much as she did. I also enjoy traveling, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, and helping fellow widows and widowers in the local community.

To contact Five Star Painting of East Valley,

Call (480) 779-8770 or visit them online: