MY BACKGROUND

I am an Albuquerque native and seasoned entrepreneur & startup veteran. I founded Solid Power in 2011 and established it as the industry leader in all solid-state rechargeable batteries for the EV market. I led the company through its transition from a University of Colorado R&D project to a publicly listed company (NASDAQ: SLDP).

Simultaneously I co-founded and led Roccor, a component supplier into the low-earth-orbit satellite industry, until 2018 after which I served as Board Chairman until the company’s acquisition in 2020 by Redwire Space (NYSE: RDW).

WHAT NOW?

I exited the Colorado Front Range in 2022 relocating to my hometown of Albuquerque, NM while continuing to maintain a base in Colorado, albeit now in the Colorado Western Slope town of Gunnison. I’m now heavily focused on philanthropic efforts around improving educational opportunities in New Mexico, UNM athletics (Go Lobos!) and improving access to outdoor recreation in both New Mexico and the Gunnison Valley.

Beyond philanthropy, I am also heavily involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystems in both New Mexico and the Gunnison Valley. My newfound mission is to deploy rboth esources and expertise in order to strengthen these ecosystems. I strongly believe that a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem can dramatically improve a community’s quality of life and standard of living.

LET ME KNOW HOW WE CAN PARTNER:

MOUNTAIN BIKING

I was gifted my first mountain bike for my 18th birthday and quickly embraced it for two purposes: it was both my recreation and my transportation. I entered my first race in the Summer of 1992 and quickly rose through the ranks establishing myself as one of the top mountain bikers in New Mexico. My racing expanded to the Southwest region and eventually onto the National stage when I turned professional in 1997.

I eventually shifted my focus to finishing my engineering degrees realizing the difficulty in establishing a long-term career out of mountain bike racing. On paper I had a decent, if not unremarkable, racing career. In reality, however, I had developed invaluable lifelong skills. The discipline, work ethic and balance of self-confidence and humility that I gained via my athletic pursuits proved invaluable to my future entrepreneurial career.

Today I have returned to mountain bike racing as a goal achieving endeavor, a refocus on healthy living and to serve as a platform to encourage youth to explore mountain biking as both a lifelong sport and character building pursuit.