Introducing THE BROKER ~ Houston Editorial Photographer

SAP:  How has your work with the American Heart Association changed your views on your health?

JASON:  Before my work with the American Heart Association, I simply took my health for granted.  My wakeup call came when a close friend suffered a heart attack at age 54 while jogging.  Everyone that knew my friend thought of him as strong and healthy.  Fortunately, another jogger on the track that day knew CPR and was able to stabilize him until help arrived.  Two things hit me…heart disease is indiscriminate and can strike anyone at anytime, and the other is me questioning whether or not I could’ve helped my friend if he had suffered a heart attack while I was close by.  That is when I decided to learn as much as I could about heart disease, stroke and CPR with the help of the American Heart Association.

SAP:  I know that you work with the Heartwalk event, but what propelled you to join in the Go Red For Women event?

JASON:  Battling heart disease is now a family affair for me and my wife.  After I got involved with the HeartWalk, my wife decided that she wanted to do her part and she decided to get involved with Go Red for Women.

SAP:  How do you teach your kids about heart health?

JASON:  Our kids are 3 and 5 years old so the best way for me and my wife to teach our kids about heart health is by example.  We make it a point that our children see us eating healthy, working out and playing outside.

SAP:  What is your idea of a perfect day?

JASON:  My idea of a perfect day is to wake up before the kids and go for a long run, then spend the rest of the day with the kids playing at the park, swimming or jumping on the trampoline, followed by a nice dinner-date with my wife in the evening.

SAP:  What historical figure do you most identify with ?

JASON:  I would hope that others would view me like Thomas Edison…counting his successes and not his failures.

SAP:  What is your greatest extravagance?

JASON:  My greatest extravagance is what other people can’t buy…my wife, my children, my family and their unconditional love for me.

SAP:  What is your greatest regret?

JASON:  My greatest regret is that I didn’t travel with my friends through Europe for 6 months after graduating from college.

SAP:  What do you consider your greatest achievement?

JASON:  My greatest achievement would have to be the success that I’ve enjoyed with my career at Merrill Lynch.  I’m in my 18^th year and I can truly say that I enjoy going to work for my clients each and every day.

SAP:  How did you end up in your current job industry?

JASON:  I knew what career path I wanted to follow since my sophomore year in college.  For the first couple of years out of college, I really struggled to find success in the financial services industry.  While almost at my breaking point, I decided I was going to give it one more shot and I walked into the Merrill Lynch office here in Clear Lake and asked for the job.  Instead of quitting, I decided to focus on persistence and now, 18 years later, I can say it truly paid off.

SAP:  Who is one of your favorite authors?

JASON:  Victor Hugo, author of “Les Miserables.”

SAP:  What was the last movie you saw at the theatre?

JASON:  My wife and I took the kids to see “Madagascar 2 in 3-D.”

SAP:  What is the one place outside the United States that you would most like to visit?

JASON:  The Great Barrier Reef in Australia.