High School: Roosevelt High School (Johnstown, Colo.)

College and Major: Bachelor's degree in media production and speech communication, emphasis in print journalism, Hastings College, 2001.

Life Before the Tribune: I am a Tribune lifer! I have been employed at the Tribune in full-time, part-time and internship capacities since 1999, working as a sports writer, sports editor (2004-2006), assistant news director (2006-2009), online editor (2009-2010), sports writer (again) and now advertising (since November, 2011).

Favorite color: Green.

Favorite food: I love spicy food — Mexican food, hot wings and chili! I also love Italian food and a good hunk of meat (steaks, prime rib, pork chops!) mmmm!

Favorite (workday) drink: As long as there's a Pepsi machine nearby, I'm good to go. Not much of a coffee drinker, so I need my caffeine fix in other ways.

If you won the lottery what would you do? I would travel the world — Ibiza, Australia, Tokyo, Rio, those are just some of the places on my "must see" list.

Your Super power? I have many... it generally depends on the situation. But, I can eat incredibly spicy food without a problem (I typically add extra jalapenos, tobasco sauce or hot sauce to many spicy foods I already eat). And... I have a pretty good knack for faring well in fantasy football or baseball.

Wish from a Genie: There are so many possibilities... I could go with the "Pageant Queen" answer — world peace. I could go with the "general" answer — To live a long, healthy, happy life with my family. I could go with something a little more fun — to win the lottery. I could go with the "cheater" answer — I wish for more wishes. The possibilities are endless!

Best thing ever: There are so many... my daughter's giggle, my wife's smile, receiving a compliment for a job well done, seeing the smile I can bring to someone's face, the many friendships I've forged through the years of working at the paper with coaches, athletes, community members, parents... I could go on and on.

My wife, Mandy, and I have been a part of the Hastings community since we both graduated from Hastings College. We have one daughter, Manon, and a few pets (our cat Chicken Head and some fish). I love to laugh, smile and have a good time. I'm active in the community as a member of Hastings Kiwanis, a member of the Hastings Kiwanis board, a graduate of Leadership Hastings and am also a member of the Leadership Hastings board. I volunteer for a number of activities from Whoopers and Hoopers to Kiwanis activities and more.

As a member of the Hastings Tribune advertising staff, I don't consider myself a salesperson — but rather a partner in marketing. It doesn't matter what kind of an ad you buy or I try to pitch to you, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for me. My job is to help create a marketing plan, using the Tribune and our many products (newspaper, website, mobile marketing, webstreaming, etc) that can benefit your business or the message you are trying to share. By putting our minds together, we can come up with some really unique, effective and special ways to advertise your business, products, promotion or message!