Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s #MCM title belongs to Aaron Ware who is bringing his discipline and success as an athlete into the workforce all while inspiring kids from the inner city to stick to education.
Aaron Ware, 26, was born in Gardena and raised in Los Angeles. Upon graduating from Bishop Montgomery in 2008, Aaron attended George Washington University on a basketball scholarship from 2008-2012. He chose GW amongst the others because it was the most well-known basketball school and first school that recruited him.
Although initially apprehensive about leaving L.A. to attend college, Aaron’s mother always encouraged him to spend time in another city as well as meet new people. GW began recruiting Aaron in July of 2007 and they stuck with him until he signed his letter of intent to attend the university. “I attended GWU because it was an opportunity for me to attend college in the nation’s capital, as well as grow as a young adult,” he says.
Playing basketball has given Aaron many opportunities that he says he would have never fathomed. “Traveling around the country, staying in 5-star hotels and getting television exposure is something not too many people that come from my neighborhood get to experience,” he says. Furthermore, he was able to learn the business side of college basketball such as, coaching staff changes, early morning film sessions/practices while balancing it with schoolwork allowed him to prepare for life after basketball, in the workforce.
Going to school in Washington, DC gave Aaron many memorable experiences that he will never forget, such as: taking a white house tour, attending President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, GW basketball’s marketing campaign and an opportunity to play a basketball game in front of the First Family.
Today, Aaron works as an Order Management Specialist, in which he places orders for K-Swiss Sales Representatives from around the country. However, in five years, he hopes to be the Sales Representative for the brand for the Southern California and Arizona area.
Aaron’s passion for shoes led him to K-Swiss when his mom’s best friend, John Porter, saw an opportunity for him to have a career in a business he was knowledgeable in. According to Aaron, Porter has been a sales rep for K-Swiss for over 20 years and is responsible for the Southern California and Arizona territory. He finds that the best part of his job is seeing how each department operates, between operations, product, sales & marketing, etc.
K-Swiss has been in existence since 1996 and is best known for producing tennis shoes and a wide range of apparel including shirts, shorts, and bags. Working at K-Swiss and understanding their “Assembly Line” has helped Aaron realize that when everyone commits time to their assignments, the brand will be successful. Aaron believes that what makes K-Swiss so uniqu
e is that it has remained true to court fitness and style, and will continue to influence young consumers with trends for many years to come.
Transitioning from the sports world into the shoe industry is right up Aaron’s alley, since he knows trends and styles that people love on the west coast. “K-Swiss is a brand that was very popular among our parent’s generation. However, the goal within the next 3-5 years is to sell shoes and apparel that resonate more so with people 13-35 years old,” he says.
Aaron’s plan to do so by being a “walking billboard.” He says that people he is around often are always curious as to what shoes he is wearing. He explains that once they realize he is wearing K-Swiss, they are shocked because the shoes are typically known to be basic, all white and black shoes.
Today, Aaron enjoys playing basketball sparingly, sometimes 3-4 times a month. “I have a few friends that play professionally so when they come home in the summer, I play with them on weekends,” he says. However, he remains very active participating in cardio 4-5 times/week.
Aaron pays it forward to his community by speaking to young boys and girls, especially those who come from the inner city. When given the opportunity, Aaron speaks at basketball camps to children aged 7-12 about the game of basketball, but more importantly, life lessons.
When Aaron is not playing basketball or working, he enjoys watching sports and attending games, mainly basketball, baseball and football. He genuinely loves music of all genres, but mainly listens to hip-hop, R&B and Pop. An interesting fact about Aaron is that he owns over 70 pairs of shoes. He still owns some of his shoes from when he was just two-years-old and still wears shoes from over 10+ years ago.
Aaron looks up to his mother, Shirley Warren and her best friend/his Godfather, John Porter who are both of his greatest mentors. In addition, he admires Doug Mitchell, his high school basketball coach at Bishop Montgomery in Torrance.
Aaron enjoys living in the South Bay mostly for the beach culture, restaurants, beaches, and bars/lounges which he says make it very hip and one of the most underrated areas in the city. He also enjoys going to restaurants around the L.A. area and claims himself to be a huge “foodie.” In addition, he enjoys shopping time to time in the Beverly/Fairfax area of L.A.
Thank you, Aaron, for being a wonderful member of the South Bay community and finding ways to inspire the youth to reach their academic and sport goals.
“I believe I can inspire young people to achieve their goals and encourage them that school is very important. I have been very fortunate thus far with some of my experiences, and I think if I can share my story with the youth, they can visualize themselves becoming successful.”
– Aaron Ware
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Sean Boling, who has turned his love for football into a career at the NFL Network with hopes of only working harder than he did the day before.
Sean, 26, was born in Torrance, CA and raised in the South Bay. Upon graduating from South High School in 2007, he went to El Camino College and then transferred to U.C. San Diego soon after.
Today, Sean is a Production Assistant at NFL Network. Sean’s primary roles include graphics in which he writes, produces and operates the side ticker on live shows. In addition, he works on highlights where he assists the highlight producer and editor in producing a highlight. “I mark shots throughout the game and keep track of the entire game and press conferences,” he says.
A typical day for Sean depends on what he is assigned. “If I’m doing graphics, I will check which shows I’m assigned and prep for shows. This includes talking to show producers to gauge what they want on the show and how they want it written,” he says.
Sean has found that different producers want different ways of presenting their shows. When breaking news occurs, Sean must make decisions on the fly with everyone else since plans can be discarded at any moment for certain levels of breaking news. “If I’m doing highlights. I will check which game or sometimes games I’m assigned for the day,” he says.
Prior to creating content, Sean will do pre-game research which includes knowing story lines/injuries/producer guidelines. He calls this “purely teamwork.” The Highlight producer, Editor and Sean all have to be on the same page so that they know what to look for and also communicate if they notice anything that has a potential to contribute to the main story line of a highlight. This could entail an injury, arguments on the field or the sidelines, reoccurring themes or chasing a record.
Sean’s role is to essentially be the constant eyes and ears on the game. “It’s a lot of multitasking for all of us because the highlights are built on the fly and edited ASAP,” he says. Despite the fast pace, Sean finds the most enjoyment out of his job doing highlights.
“The process of creating a highlight is a mix of crazy and fun. Most of all it truly is a team effort building the highlights and I have been fortunate to bond and work some of our most talented producers and editors,” he says. He says his team and him have handled some of the craziest NFL highlights in the year that would often rattle the inexperienced, but they handled it in full stride.
Sean is most proud when his team’s work gets praised because he says it can be a real challenge. He became employed by the NFL Network with what he calls “a lot of luck and coincidence.” His high school friend works at NFL Network on the PR-side and he had met a producer golfing shortly after graduating. He made his interest known in the field and exchanged contact info and got interviewed and hired that fall after graduating.
“I’d love to say that I worked my ass off and got rewarded for it to pursue this career, but that wouldn’t be the truth. Networking is everything in this field to get your foot in the door, but it’s working hard that keeps you in the room,” he says. It is evident how much pride and commitment Sean has in being a wonderful contribution to the NFL network. Just last year, Sean worked every holiday including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
When asked how one can become a member of the NFL Network team, Sean explains that there are intern spots and entry-level positions that are usually in the fall for the season (applications start in the summer). “This line of work has a lot of jumping ship to other companies and ties with each other. Somebody always knows somebody here or there and build the right reputation for yourself there will always be an opportunity opened for you likely,” he says.
He says to also make yourself noticeable and be willing to learn new things and take criticism in stride. However, he says one must have a passion in sports or football to survive because that is what is going to fuel you to grind out the long and hard days you will encounter. “Everyone here has grinded out overnight shifts, super long OT shifts, getting up at all hours of the day for work, working sick etc. Times are different. Jobs are hard to come by and it’s highly competitive especially in this field so networking is the key to success,” he says.
When Sean is not working at the NFL Network, he enjoys watching Kings games and golfing during his off time. He has always been a huge hockey fan and says he loved the Kings through the great times winning the cup to the horrible times when they were a bottom feeder team continually floundering year after year.
Golf is something he picked up as a kid and never let go of. Playing golf is the best getaway for him no matter how good or bad the day is. “I could spend a day on the course just enjoy myself and the sights,” he says.
“If there was one thing I want to point out about NFL Network is the ridiculous amount of talent we have working here. There are a lot of men and women that work hard to create an awesome product day in and day out,” he says.
The NFL also engages and gives back to communities in many ways. “Whether it’s having employees volunteer at the Special Olympics, making a family’s dream come true with player’s events or games, highlighting players’ charitable ventures, holding clothing drives or school drives those are just a few ways our company gives back,” he says.
Thank you, Sean, for being a wonderful member of the South Bay community and inspiring others to pursue their greatest passions.
“Ultimately, if I didn’t take pride in work I contributed to, I was either not trying or wasting my time. I give myself goals every day to keep myself motivated and enjoy the process of the work I put in. I’ll admit it’s not a flawless process for me, but it keeps me grinding on the road of achieving even greater work.” -Sean Boling
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Nick Ekbatani, who has found a way to bring inspiration to those struggling to find acceptance in loss after losing a part of his leg in an accident in 2012.
Nick, 28, grew up in Torrance, CA. During his youth, Nick didn’t have many friends and was often bullied for being “chubby.” When Nick was 11, his mom decided that she would sign him up for Pop Warner Youth Football in hopes of getting him out of the house and active. Soon after signing up, Nick thought he hated the sport and wanted to quit.
Despite his frustrations with the sport, his mom did not let him quit. “We didn’t have a lot of money, so she wasn’t going to just waste it,” Nick says. In order to get through the season, Nick often cracked jokes about himself and found that laughing at himself helped him surpass the bullying too.
After making a conscious decision to work harder in football, Nick continued to get better and better. By the 8th grade, he was one of the best linemen on his team and by his senior year in high school, Nick had been nominated as an All-CIF football player.
Nick participated in nearly every play of the game and owes a lot of his success to his mom, Tracy Ekbatani. “My mom was at every game and practice. She was the one who’d bring pizza, orange slices, Gatorade,” he says.
After graduating high school, Nick joined LA Harbor college. After one semester, he transferred to UCLA with a full scholarship and graduated with a major in Political Science.
In July of 2012, Nick’s life would be forever changed. He was involved in a catastrophic auto accident in which a van collided with his motorcycle. He woke up in the hospital and was delivered the news that doctors had to amputate his left leg.
Though highly drugged, Nick was able to laugh at himself like he did when he was younger. He explains that he went through several stages of grief, such as denial. However, in hopes of lightening an extremely difficult situation, he cracked jokes and tried to make the best of the situation.
Fortunately for Nick, he had been working out tremendously prior to the event, which ultimately is why he is still alive. Doctors explained to Nick his cardiovascular fitness helped to prevent him from bleeding to death. Despite being healthy, Nick remained in bed for 4 weeks while heavily drugged on painkillers.
Nick recalls the first two years after the accident as very challenging. He often fell in the process of recovering due to his eagerness to improve. Since he was visiting the doctor’s office at least once a week, he even moved to Santa Monica so that he was closer.
Nearly four years and a dozen surgeries later, Nick is still recovering. One of his greatest challenges has been battling a stubborn infection in his femur. He uses a prosthetic leg which he has to carefully clean and take care of, which also can be tiring to wear for a long time as it is tight on his skin. Being the joker that he is, Nick explains that he has benefitted by learning a lot about skin care in result.
When asked how Nick has been able to remain so positive during such a difficult time in his life, he explains that he is always seeking ways to chase the light at the end of the tunnel. “It only gets dark when you stop chasing it,” he says.
The accident has definitely had an impact on how Nick lives his life today. At times, he finds himself reacting overzealously in realizing that life is short. Other times, his fear/anxiety holds him back and scares him. Despite it all, he finds himself to be very grateful and has a changed perspective on life.
Nick genuinely feels blessed to have grown up playing football. He explains that he has become very disciplined due to the sport, which has helped him remain persistent to succeed. He loves football most for the virtues he has gained, relationships and mentors he’s found and how he is able to continuously improve his craft like an artist would.
Today, Nick remains as disciplined as ever. He remains very active, waking up at 4 a.m. to train clients and instruct classes at Orangetheory Fitness in Brentwood and West Hollywood. During times where he finds himself frustrated, he remembers that there are others out there who have it worse and no matter how bad it gets, he feels blessed to be alive.
Nick is currently pursuing his MBA from USC. He genuinely loves technology companies like Apple and athletic apparel brands like Nike and he hopes to establish his own business in the next five years where he can lead a team and inspire others.
When Nick is not studying, working or improving his recovery process, he is visiting patients of the doctors who’ve operated on his leg. It is very easy to see why Nick’s doctors value his presence, as he is able to present a positive, welcoming and high energy to others.
Nick spends time with patients who are in the premature stages of recovery and shows them that despite his loss, he is able to still do a lot for being in the position he is in. Helping new amputees throughout their recovery motivates Nick and gives him a deeper sense of purpose.
Thank you, Nick, for being a wonderful member of the south bay community and an inspiring and positive ray of light for those who still need help finding their way in a dark tunnel.
“Adversity has the way to advance us if we allow it. A setback is really a setup for us to come back.” – Nick Ekbatani
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Philip Stokes, who has inspired many people through his motivational videos and blogs by emphasizing that with the right attitude, there are no heights you cannot reach.
Philip Stokes, 27, from Torrance was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2006 after a pickup truck ran through a red light into him and changed his life forever. Efforts to try to save his deteriorated arm were ineffective resulting in Philip to voluntarily decide to have his arm amputated due to the severe atrophy, advanced arthritis in his hand, elbow, and a shoulder that would disjoint constantly.
Philip had to even convince the doctors that he believed that this was truly the right thing to do. He had a spinal cord injury when he was 17 years old in 2006, and has been a full-arm amputee since October 2012. The accident resulted in Philip becoming paralyzed in his left arm, shoulder and chest. Not too far after his fall, Philip suffered from severe pain from the paralysis which took a toll on him resulting in frustration, depression, and prescription drug abuse.
He spent many restless hours struggling with nerve tests and experimental surgeries. After realizing that the frustration was getting the best of him, Philip decided that he needed to change his mindset. Although his spinal cord injury changed his life, it didn’t have to control him. In result, he decided to commit his life to the five essential elements of mindfulness that are necessary to overcome life’s obstacles which include: patience, perspective, positivity, perseverance, and passion.
Philip was turned on to the idea of the “3 P’s” by a friend of his, who was also his first soccer trainer when he started after his amputation. His friend read an inspirational book written by one of the most famous soccer managers in modern times who talked about “patience, perspective, and perseverance.” Philip thought, “Wow, how profound, yet simple, right? “
He started thinking about how those three things had been present in all of his transformations as he grew out of his anger and sadness. However, the 3 P’s seemed incomplete to him, as he felt there was more that made those transformations possible. In result, he added “passion” and “positivity” to the 3 to get “5 P’s”
As Philip began to implement these elements into his life, he realized he was moving forward rather than allowing the pain and frustration to get to him. Philip decided to create a website called, How to fly with a Clipped Wing, which he describes as “A motivational glance into the life of a spinal cord injury survivor, amputee, pilot, and soccer player.”
Philip used his website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel to communicate his stories and life lessons with others and how he has incorporated these He hopes that these stories will inspire others to incorporate these elements into their lives. Philip offers his motivational speaking services to all and everyone.
Philip was inspired to title his blog “How to fly with a Clipped Wing” after being asked, “How did you break your wing?” Since he spent many years in an arm sling, it appeared to be broken to others who did not know that it was completely paralyzed. He realized in the first few years after the accident that he was running very low on patience, perspective, positivity, perseverance, and passion in his life which was the real reason why he couldn’t get his life off of the ground. Without these five elements, Philip realized he could’ve fluttered all he wanted but he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon without changing himself for the better.
Philip explains that a bird with its wing clipped has had it clipped by some other means outside of its own control. He explains that “sometimes the effects can be temporary, and sometimes they can be permanent. In either case, it is bound to the ground where it most likely doesn’t prefer to be.” In result, he realized this would be a great motivational approach to the ways that he has overcome his paralysis.
As time has passed, Philip has found the silver-lining to his accident. “I’ve gained such an immense appreciation for the power of patience, perspective, positivity, perseverance, and passion over the years that I felt it necessary to try to reach out to anyone willing to listen to my stories and try to improve their own lives in the same ways that I have improved mine,” he says.
Today, in addition to spending his time inspiring others, Philip is one of the few full-arm amputee general aviation aircraft pilots in the country. He spent a little over two years getting his license to fly single engine airplanes. He was inspired to become a pilot around the age of seven by his uncle who flew fighter jets in desert storms and he thought that flying was the “coolest thing humans could possibly ever do.”
After his amputation surgery, Philip worked hard at a finance analyst job he received after graduating college and essentially afforded the majority of training that way. Although he recently completed his private pilot’s license, he is currently working on an “instrument rating” which he explains is a secondary license that allows him to fly in bad weather, reduced visibility, and low clouds. His goals are to become trained to fly aerobatic planes.
He also loves remaining physically active by playing as a midfielder in soccer whether he’s playing futsal (indoor soccer), in 7v7 leagues, or men’s full field leagues. These two passions of his are what helped inspire the title of his “clipped wing” motivational series. In addition, playing video games one-handed is another one his remarkable accomplishments and hobbies.
Thank you, Philip, for allowing your strength, mindset and most of all, daily choice to not let struggles block you from achieving your goals and inspiring so many to keep flying high, even with a clipped wing.
Philip is willing to speak with all or anyone who’s in need of his motivational services. To contact Philip, please refer to the contact section of his website here.
Like his Facebook Page here.
Visit his Website here.
Visit his YouTube videos here.
“I think that we all have a bit of our own clipped wings at different times. These are the things that weigh heavily on us and inhibit us from getting where we want to go or what we want. The circumstances that we find ourselves in might be our clipped wing at the moment, but by changing the ways that we are patient with ourselves and others, by changing our perspective on the situation at hand, by changing our mindset to more of a positive and affirming mindset, by changing our willingness to persevere no matter how long it takes, and by changing the ways that we incorporate what we are passionate about into our lives, we can all learn to fly with a clipped wing.”- Philip Stokes
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Zach Lee.
Zach, 25, was born and raised in North Torrance, CA. At the age of 20, Zach joined the Marine Corps in December 2009 and began boot camp only a few months later in March 2010. “I joined the military to be a part of something greater, and to serve my country, and do my part in the wars,” Zach explains.
Zach’s title in the military is corporal, which according to Military-Ranks.org is “the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Marine Corps, ranking above Lance Corporal and directly below Sergeant.” Zach explains that it is considered the first tank of Noncommissioned officer. At the end of his enlistment in January of 2014, Zach concluded as a combat veteran. Zach’s uncle Kenny Simpson also served in the military prior as a fighter pilot in the Air Force.
Zach’s duty in the U.S. Marine Corps was a 0331 Infantry Machine gunner. “Attached to 1/1 C.co WPNS Platoon, our job was to attach to the rifle squads and provide support with heavy guns,” he explains. Since returning home, Zach continues to visit his unit aboard Camp Pendleton, and has personally visited platoon mates.
His accomplishments and efforts have resulted in awards and commendations; good conduct , meritorious unit citation, and a navy achievement medal. Along with other medals while overseas. Zach has deployed to numerous countries including Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Pakistan, Oman, Hong Kong, Africa, Thailand, Jordan, and Hawaii.
He finds that the most rewarding part of serving was the honor of giving back to the country. However, he says that the most difficult part of service, was “The mental hardships of war and being away from family for so long, such as seven month deployments.”
When asked what he’d like people to know about service men and women, Zach says, “I would like people to know that many service men and women have a hard time transitioning to “civilian life”, when they get out of the military. With that comes stress, if you happen to know or meet a veteran sometimes they could use helpful advice or a leg up in their new adventure to becoming a civilian.”
Today, Zach is working at Valero refinery, which helps families in need during the holidays, by providing essentials and presents for the families. “When I had first hired on with Valero it was December, our training class had been assigned a family, they had a list of items that each family member needed, and a few items that they wanted for the kids like small toys. Our class had put together the gifts and items, and myself and a few other guys from the training class went to the family’s house and delivered the gifts and took pictures with the family,” Zach says.
As a single parent, Zach spends most of his time with his son and daughter, Jake and Sophia. He enjoys taking them outdoors, reading books with them and going to the dog park. He is currently living in North Torrance and in five years hopes to have been promoted with his job to the highest level he can go.
He also hopes to purchase a home in the future for his family and enjoys donating to United Way which is a nonprofit organization that contributes money and charity work to cities that are in need. For instance, united way and Valero Wilmington have raised 2 million in proceeds to Wilmington and its schools and parks and programs to help people find jobs, homeless shelters.
Thank you, Zach, for serving your country and dedicating your early years to making our country a safe place and continuing to live up to your role by finding ways to pay it forward to your community today.
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Vance Bejarano who has helped so many individuals reach their fitness goals as well as achieving personal growth and confidence.
Vance, 32, grew up in San Clemente and only 17 years old, Vance realized he wanted to pursue boxing so he joined a gym in his hometown. However, he realized soon after that he was far better at kickboxing and martial arts. He explains, “I was better with my kicks.”
He began training at the gym, meeting with several coaches at a time. “I had a boxing coach and a kickboxing coach,” he says. Not too long after, he began competing in tournaments against other opponents. Till this day, Vance remains good friends with his coaches.
Prior to competing, Vance became a coach himself. He moved to the South Bay seven years ago and began training at UFC Gym located in Torrance at 1431 W Knox St, Ste 1200.
While in high school, Vance knew he wanted to one day become a coach, so he began taking necessary steps such as studying kinesiology and human biology his junior and senior year. Upon graduation, he completed his schooling and became a certified coach.
Vance believes that besides learning the sport of boxing, a “good boxer” is one who has a strong mind and determination. “A lot of it is mental, a lot more than physical. The strongest guy can do so much in the weight room, but when it comes to boxing it can show he can be broken as well,” he explains.
He says that ultimately as a boxer you must be strong-minded. His favorite part about boxing is competing and witnessing himself become stronger and better. He explains that each fight is something new and that’s what he likes most about the sport.
Vance finds so much joy in his career and truly feels blessed to be able to do something he loves every day. However, he takes his role in his client’s lives very responsibly and understands that as a Coach, he is to maintain a positive image inside and outside of the gym. “I think that what you do outside of the gym reflects in the gym,” he explains. To Vance, coaching is more than just a job. It is a responsibility.
“I like grabbing the average kid and watching him learn something or grabbing the average woman, or the weakest in the room and next thing you know she’s the strongest woman. Helping the weak get stronger, the kid that gets bullied. You know, teaching them how to survive out there? There’s so much that comes inside the gym besides showing people how to kick and punch,” he says.
Vance has maintained strong relationships with many of his clients. He has watched many of the younger kids grow up into strong-willed individuals, some who’ve even faced bullying. In addition to boxing and kickboxing, Vance coaches in MMA, self-defense, wrestling and even proper lifting.
Vance explains that the one difficult part of is job would have to be getting out of bed sometimes to be in the gym by 6 a.m. However, as soon as he’s in the gym, he is pumped and ready to go! He maintains a strict diet of lean meats, vegetables and brown rice, but enjoys his fun days too. “I just try to eat the right things at the right time,” he says.
When Vance isn’t instructing classes or coaching, he enjoys bowling, spending time with his dog, and going for nice walks.
Vance would like anyone who’s interested in boxing but is afraid to try it to know that it is a fun sport and you shouldn’t be afraid of it. “It’s a lot more than just learning how to take a punch. It’s more of an art. Whoever doesn’t know it should be able to learn it. it helps build confidence and is a great exercise,” he explains.
To learn more about UFC Gym located on Knox street, please visit their website here or contact store Manager, Michael, at torranceknoxstreetgm@ufcgym.com
to schedule a free class at their website here.
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.
Today’s #MCM title belongs to South Bay resident and my dog’s trainer, Leroy Singh, with Mission Underdog Group who is the South Bay’s dog whisperer!
Leroy was born and raised in Jamaica, while surrounded by animals from the very beginning. His family always had Rottweilers on site, and he herded goats and cows, collected chicken eggs, chased lizards and frogs, and raised birds. Growing up, Leroy felt a desire to better the lives of animals of all kinds and at the age of 10, traveled to Los Angeles, CA.
Although he was no longer in his hometown with a backyard filled with sheep, birds, cows and dogs, he did everything within his power to continue to study animal behavior. He began collecting magazines dedicated to pigeons, flock, feline and canine, to volunteering at local animal shelters. Leroy was constantly in pursuit of attaining knowledge of animals, so following high school, he began to work at Petco.
While at Petco, he became a licensed specialist in any academia possible – including reptiles and birds. Soon after, he began working with local shelters and dog rehab facilities, where he built a philosophy that would go on to fuel his future.
Leroy worked as a dog walker and trainer for more than five years. His first training client was a referral who he met while dog-walking and one of his main clients had 15 dogs living on her sprawling mansion property.
Her assistant knew Leroy loved and worked with dogs and asked him to help a friend of hers with their out-of-control dog. From there, he received referral after referral until he had a strong enough client base to open an official boarding and training site. In July of 2011, Leroy officially began MUG training and rehabilitation in hopes of providing dogs a second chance at life by rehabilitating and training them, so they would not end up in a shelter.
Leroy worked for almost five years as a dog trainer with Brandon Fouche before branching out to open his own facility. Leroy explains that the greatest joy is working with the dogs and seeing them every day. He never leaves, never has a whole day off, and hates the thought of being off site for more than a few hours. Despite how much he loves the dogs, he explains that, “The greatest difficulty are the people.”
Despite all efforts to inform his clients, Leroy finds that many owners fail to adopt the methods he tries so hard to teach, and many dogs lapse back into poor behaviors and have to return to rehabilitation. It can be incredibly frustrating to work with a dog every day, to watch it change for the better and become an excellent, well-balanced companion, and then watch it revert back into aggression or disobedience beaches the owner failed to continue the work. Regardless, he never gives up on the dogs or his clients.
Leroy suggests that dog owners do full research on a breed before adopting. He finds that too many owners take home a dog because they find it cute and friendly as a puppy and are shocked to see it grow large, or to find it’s energetic or destructive. Before taking home a dog a family should research breed characteristics, temperament, energy levels and grooming needs to make sure the dog really is a good fit for the family. This alone would prevent thousands of good dogs for ending up in shelters for doing no more than growing into what they were bred to be.
The drive to fix dogs seems to vary by culture and area. Some areas seem to shrink from the idea of neutering dogs, preferring to breed them and make money off the puppies. Some areas all but insist that dogs be neutered and prefer rescuing mutts to buying purebreds. While volume is a huge problem and contributes to an unheard of number of shelter deaths, one of the main reason for dogs being surrendered or abandoned remains behavior issues.
When he isn’t busy training, Leroy likes to go for long drives along the coast. He loves food, of all kinds, and is always looking for new hole-in-the-wall gems with great food. He raises birds and owns a flock of almost 50 pigeons of different species, some very rare.
Leroy recently turned 30. In five years, he hopes to have at least two more branches of MUG in the area so his training and rehabilitation methods will be fully operational all the way out to Orange County and Hollywood, with a fully functional rescue as well so dogs are no longer abandoned or euthanized for aggression.
MUG deals with dogs of all types, breeds, ages, sizes, and temperaments, from Chihuahuas to Mastiffs, puppies to seniors, and the excessively fearful to the overly friendly. MUG offers everything from dog walking, boarding, basic training, intense training, and even full rehabilitation.
In addition, the team takes friendly dogs to the dog park or hiking adventures, train dogs how to walk nicely on a leash or deal politely with strange dogs, and rehabilitate dogs with severe aggression or bite histories. All kinds of dogs are welcome to join Leroy’s pack for walks, hikes, and to visit the dog park so they get a lifetime of refresher training and good socialization. MUG will also board so owners can leave town without worrying.
Rescues came to Leroy as referrals, just like all other clients. His willingness to offer discounted services and his unqualified success with last-chance cases earned him great reputation and made him the go-to guy for many local rescues with problem cases
With the Mission Underdog Group, Leroy hopes to share this knowledge, specifically surrounding dogs, with people that need help providing the best possible life for their animals. What makes Leroy so loved and admired by his clients his not only his affordable cost and love for what he does, but his willingness to bend over backwards for dogs as he often does.
To learn more about Leroy, his rescues, and MUG, please refer to his website here.
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.
Today’s #MCM title belongs to South Bay resident and my Hero, Matthew Morales, 6, who is kicking cancer’s butt all while keeping his contagious smile.
Upon meeting Matthew, I couldn’t help but notice a distinct yellow cap on his head. After telling him how much I liked it, I was surprised to learn from his mother and aunt who were nearby that this was his “lucky” hat and apparently, he went nowhere without it.
Matthew, like most kids, loves sports, super heroes, and dinosaur-shaped chicken; but Matthew is not like most kids. When asked what makes Matthew so special, he simply replied, “My sickness. I have cancer.”
At only six years old, Matthew is able to explain to me that he has leukemia and has had it since he was four. He remembers the year before being diagnosed when his mom tried to wake him up. His mom, Brandy Jackson says, “He was so grumpy. He did not want to be woken up.”
Brandy explains that she has noticed Matthew was more tired than usual, not acting like his upbeat self and complaint of leg pain. Although there was nothing specifically wrong, Brandy felt like something wasn’t right and when the symptoms were not lessening and an onset fever continued, Brandy decided to take little Matthew to the hospital. Within just 10 days, four hospital visits, and after being misdiagnosed, Matthew was finally diagnosed with leukemia at just four years old.
In order to ease Matthew’s comfort and allow him to understand a little better of his illness, his Doctor, Dr. Kirov joked that Matthew had monkeys in his ears and rocks in his throat. In result, Matthew believes that the monkeys in his ear are sick, causing him to feel ill.
Although Matthew’s visits to the hospital have lessened to just 2-4 days a week, it wasn’t always this way. Brandy explains that she and Matthew spent nine months in 2014 in the hospital. At one point during this time, Matthew’s organs were not stable enough, causing kidney stones, ulcers in his stomach, a drop in sodium, and had vomited so much, it resulted in dramatic weight loss. Matthew had dropped to only 24 lbs.
Brandy explains that because of this, he was unable to eat or have any liquids for five days straight. This was one of the worst experiences for Brandy to witness in that everything was happening at once, including her young child, “begging, pleading, and crying for food.”
From September of 2014 until early this year, Matthew had a dry cough and severe fever which cause his to have slight hearing loss. Brandy explains that it’s as though he can hear his own heartbeat, which makes noise and sound too much to handle sometimes. This causes Matthew to become irritable and annoyed of even the slightest sounds.
Matthew’s current condition is considered “stable,” while he continues to receive Chemo treatments. The treatments can have an immediate effect or sometimes won’t be noticed until 2-3 weeks later. During that time, Matthew will also lose patches of hair which upsets him. However, his subtype of leukemia is treatable, but it is longer than most at 3 ½ years.
Matthew’s favorite part of the hospital is seeing his friends Niko, Ryan, and Jack, which is very bittersweet. Brandy explains that two of Matthew’s friends have lost their fight to cancer, yet he doesn’t know.
Brandy faces many challenges today in result of the sickness including anxiety, stress, and financial concerns. The pill that Matthew must take daily costs $9,000 for only a month’s supply. After having to quit her job to be by her son’s side, she finds small ways to make extra income.
Brandy explains that she didn’t realize that she was having post-traumatic stress until a Doctor explained her anxiety and hearing ambulance bells and hospital sounds were a result of the stress. In addition, she was recently diagnosed with vertigo, causing periodic moments of severe dizziness. However, it doesn’t take much to make her happy. Brandy explains that sitting anywhere outside, even outside of the hospital, alone, brings her a sense of peace. She has learned to handle things, “One day at a time.”
In addition to the financial, emotional, and mental stresses, Brandy must remain a strong mentor for her two older boys, Michael, 7, and Martin, 11. “I have to give my sons warnings when Matthew is on steroids, because he can be very mean. He does get disciplined, but my kids need to know that his behavior is in result of the medication,” Brandy states.
Despite the emotional toll, Brandy explains the most important thing for her is to remain as most honest as she can with Matthew. Doctors have told her that kids with cancer need to feel a sense of control, so she has allowed Matthew to decide when he can take his pills by allowing him to decide based on when the big-hand on the clock reaches a number of his choice.
And regardless of the long hours, stress, financial stress, and worry, Brandy says she wants Matthew to fight and be angry and not like it. “If he doesn’t get fussy or mad, it means he is giving up. I want him aggravated and fighting,” she explains.
Matthew has no problem swallowing pills on his own, but many of them result in him becoming sick from it which is hard for a mother to witness. However, Brandy insists that she needs Matthew to trust her so she doesn’t lie when she knows things will hurt and lets him know ahead of time. Since the beginning of his diagnosis, Matthew now has trouble sleeping alone and feels most comfortable with his mother by his side.
While Matthew cannot go back to school due to his restrictions on his immune system, he is homeschooled and can read and signal sign-language incase his hearing is ever completely gone. Matthew wants to one day grow up to build things and be a “You-tuber.” He loves Spiderman because he “shoots webs and climbs walls.” According to Brandy, he has dressed up as Spiderman for Halloween several times and wants to be him again this year.
Although Spiderman is Matthew’s hero, I can’t help but think how special of a person Matthew is and how much of a hero he is to me. At such a young age, he is amazingly mature, polite, and most of all, courageous. Thank you, Matthew, for bringing a smile to all the people who are blessed to be in presence of you.
Matthew was also filmed in a small commercial that can be seen here.
Today’s #MCM title belongs to South Bay’s Business man, Shahram (Anthony) Shoghi who has combined his love of a healthy lifestyle with his business administration knowledge, resulting in a successful produce company.
Shahram was born and raised in Southern California and has developed a penchant for produce from a young age. Growing up, Shahram enjoyed the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, a disciplined diet, and fruits and vegetables. While at the University of Arizona during 2008-12, Shahram studied Business Administration, which helped him realized he could essentially connect his love for produce and business together.
His experience has aided him in building partnerships with outside producers by keeping constant communication with growers around California, Mexico, and Florida. According to Shahram, “This is imperative as the most important thing in produce is providing top quality.”
In January of 2015, Shahram joined Moonland Produce which is a full service wholesaler of fruits and vegetables out of Vernon, CA. Additionally, they specialize in repacking, processing, cold storage, and custom processing.
The business model was built around the concept of avocado ripening, treating avocados with ethylene gas to speed up the ripening process. In result, this would ensure that customers have ripened avocados for consumption the day of purchase, then come back for more. Shahram explains that his company has also recently acquired farm land in California and Florida where we they grow exotic dragon fruit.
Moonland Produce specializes in leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, cabbage, etc. They are proud to also import avocados from Mexico, Chile, Peru, and the USA. Moonland Produce has a bevy of foodservice and retail clients. Some of their clients include: Northgate Gonzalez Markets, Seafood City Supermarkets, Harmon’s City in Utah, Super A Foods, El Super, and smaller ethic stores such as Fresh Choice Marketplace, Wholesome Choice, and Crown Valley.
Although there are many nutritional benefits in fruit and vegetables, Moonland’s own variety of Dragon Fruit provides many health benefits, these include: fiber, antioxidants and a multitude of vitamins. After discovering the natural antioxidants the fruits provided, Shahram stopped taking his multivitamin daily and substituted it for a daily serving of dragon fruit.
Dragon Fruit also aids in controlling blood sugar levels and one serving contains 50% of your daily recommended Vitamin C intake. According to ‘Skinny with Fiber,’ “ The dragon fruit is jam-packed with antioxidants that combat free radicals and prevent them from messing with your vital functions.”
Dependent on the variety, one should expect to pay $3 a pound or as high as $12 a pound for some of the more exotic varieties! Shahram finds that the beauty of Dragon Fruit is that it’s versatile. He has used it to it make low sugar jams and smoothies. Shahram says, “I personally just split the fruit with a knife and eat the flesh out with a spoon. Many store the fruit and eat it at room temperature, but I prefer chilled… It’s all preference.”
For Shahram, the most difficult part of becoming involved in such a demanding business is working a 6 day work week with only Sundays off. According to Shahram, “On the days I work, my alarm clock is set to 3:30AM. What many don’t know about the produce industry is that the peak of business is between 1am and 9am. This would allow the trucks coming from all parts of California and Mexico (where most our items are grown) to come in without traffic and delays.”
Between the hours of from 4AM to 7AM, Shahram completes his duties in the warehouse which includes strict inspections of incoming produce, quality control for my produce going out to my clients, and maintaining constant communication with everybody. Produce is on a market system, meaning that the price of a commodity can change from minute to minute so you really have to stay on top of it.
Shahram enjoys learning for ways to become more efficient and monitor news on produce around the world because that helps with anticipating fluctuations in the market. Although his day ends around 11AM and he can go home, he must remain glued to his phone as the produce business never sleeps!
Despite the demanding hours, Shahram simply states, “I cherish every minute of it.”
Thank you, Shahram, for inspiring others to follow their passions, do what they love, and the possibilities will be endless.
To learn more about Moonland Produce, please visit their website here or follow them on Instagram at @moonlandproduce
Today’s #MCM title belongs to South Bay’s well-known hair stylist and owner of ‘Get Faded Blown and Nailed Salon’, Shafic Tayara who is making a difference in the world by providing free haircuts to the homeless when he isn’t bringing out the confidence in his own clients.
Shafic, 30, was inspired to learn about the hair business when his father bought him his first pair of clippers at the age of 18. According to Shafic, “I always liked to get creative with different things and drew a lot in high school. Friends would ask me to give them haircuts and they trusted me because of my steady hand from drawing so much.”
His ability to envision an image stimulated his desire to make “bad hair into good hair.” He knew that he could essentially change a person’s confidence by seeing the bigger picture and using his creativity and artistic approach.
When asked what his technique is, Shafic jokingly said, “If I told you the techniques I use for my haircuts, I would have to kill you.” After some humor, he explained that his technique is to simply keep the client away from the mirror until the cut is complete.
His greatest role model is in fact a memory of his younger self at the age of 17. He recalls trying to create basketball teams without the support of any friends or family. “I was a big loner. I got cut several times and made fun of a lot,” Shafic remembers.
It was then that he realized he may not be able to control the things around him, what people say, think or do, but he was able to control two things. Those two things were his attitude and work ethic and till this day, Shafic believes that is all that has and will matter. Though many years ago, that mental freedom of his younger self still continues to inspire him when the going gets tough.
Shafic opened his own salon called, Get Faded Blown and Nailed earlier this year. His goal was to establish a business where negatives were turned into positives. He explains the meaning behind his salon’s name in that, “The name really means to get your hair faded, hair blown out, and nails done to look good.” In addition, the brand has expanded into a clothing line that was created to promote the message through his logo which is, “Hear, see, and speak no evil.” In result, it was a logo intended to block out negativity.
The brand has expanded far greater than Shafic imagined with hair products called ‘BLWN’ by FBN which is a hair care line including shampoo, conditioner, gel, wax, hair spray, and dry shampoo. Currently, nail polish is being produced and will be provided in the salon soon.
What seems to be most inspiring from Shafic’s career growth was that prior to opening his salon, he cut hair from his very own house- in his garage. Understanding the importance of branding, Shafic invested in a van that many people in the South Bay have seen.
He bought a van, wrapped it black and put his FBN logo on it. He knew that ultimately he would make back his money, so he went fully in. His bold risk was well worth it and his van is now a South Bay icon to many who know and don’t know him yet.
Outside of his busy work life, Shafic is making a difference in the world by providing free haircuts for the homeless. He realized the lack of humanity around the world and he remembers the feeling of not feeling cared or believed in. Those difficult times at a young age influenced his ability to develop a sense of putting himself in other’s shoes. He believes that energy is contagious and he hopes that through his acts, he can inspire others to be nice through acts of kindness.
Shafic believes that others can give back by having an independent mentality. “I believe if others have the mentality that they can change the world then everyone would be out on the streets doing something, not dependent on needing a partner to do so or waiting on others to lead the way,” he explains. For those who are simply too busy to help, Shafic suggests to just be kind to others.
After seeing the faces of the homeless men and women, Shafic feels the most impact. He explains that he always gives the mirror for them to see after he is finished and the appreciation in their faces mean a lot more than money. For Shafic, “Smiles stick to me, money doesn’t.”
Thank you, Shafic for making a difference in the lives of many.
