Creative mind, frustrated inventor, behind-the-scenes operator, professional creature artist. Grew up in coastal Virginia, went to the same school from 1st – 12th grade, with by bestie (and now business partner) Danny Rosin. I spent summers as a child at Camp Virginia and Nags Head, NC, and as a teen kayaking the San Juans, backpacking the Olympic Peninsula, rafting the Deschutes River, and hiking through Yellowstone, Glacier, and Teton National Parks. Summited Mt. Rainier with crampons and an ice axe, roped in with my buddies and crossing crevasses on aluminum ladders. Spent several years in Colorado after college skiing, a few years as a stockbroker, got my MBA at William & Mary, and started this crazy company called Brand Fuel in 1998 with Dr. Rosin.

Fortunate enough to have been a Big Brother, board member, volunteer, mentor, and donor to many worthy causes. Met my wonderful wife Amy in 2000 and am blessed with two amazing daughters, Grayson and Anne Burns. This year (2026) marks the 33rd annual canoe/kayak/beer-around-the-campfire-and-tell-the same-stories trip with my friend Rob – good times every year since 1994. I’m grateful for the love and support of my parents, enjoy a group of close friends, and have a dog named Tanner who thinks I am the man I’m striving to be. I’m a lucky guy.