I am eternally grateful to my parents, Peter and Mary Jo VandenWymelenberg, for teaching me everything I needed to know about being a good person and giving back to humanity.
Also, thank you to my wrestling coaches, Matt and Bill Verbeten, for teaching me that my mind and work ethic could be pushed 10X past the competition at a very young age.
And a very special thanks to John Cunningham and David Washburn, the two architectural mentors/bosses I had many years ago. When I approached them with my question about attending graduate school or starting a business, they both wisely advised me—without hesitation—to start my own business, saying that I would learn more in two years of running a business than in any amount of time in a master’s program. Without that advice, I wouldn’t be where I am today and neither would the tens of millions of trees I’ve planted in the world.