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Current position: President and chief operating officer of The Lexas Cos., which focuses on the development of high-quality real-estate investments, including high-rise multifamily projects, land development and condominium conversions. One of the company's projects is Escala, a luxury 30-story condominium tower that will be built at the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Virginia Street.
First job: Working as a farmhand at age 16 in the rural community of Arcade, 40 miles from Buffalo, N.Y. The chores included cleaning the cow and horse stalls, milking cows and stacking bales of hay. I also repaired tractors and other farm equipment. I worked after classes at Pioneer High School and on weekends, sometimes until 10 at night.
Pay: $3 an hour. The goal was to earn enough money to buy an $800 1974 Chevy pickup truck — and then to start saving for college.
What I learned: Working hard pays off in many ways. It taught me discipline and how to be responsible. Sometimes I had blisters on my hands and felt too tired to stack another bale of hay, but the farm counted on me. By the time I joined the Air Force at the age of 18, I was well-prepared to take on immense responsibilities that led me to a full United States Air Force scholarship resulting in a slot in Officer Training School and earning me a commission as a second lieutenant."
