Occupation: I am the owner of designerbodies personal training studio, on South Main Street, in Newtown. I've been doing this in Newtown since 2005, and I've been in the industry for ten years, prior to that. I do one-on-one and small group train
Occupation: I am the owner of designerbodies personal training studio, on South Main Street, in Newtown. Iâve been doing this in Newtown since 2005, and Iâve been in the industry for ten years, prior to that. I do one-on-one and small group training, and boxing.
Family: I have a wonderful, supportive wife, Margaret. Weâve been married for 31 years. We have two daughters. Mali is 24, and Rhea is 18. Mali is in the banking industry and Rhea just graduated from Lauralton Hall. Sheâs off to Stone Hill College in Massachusetts, to study biology.
Pets: We have two shih-tzu dogs. Zoë is our little old lady. Sheâs 14 years old, and a beautiful, beautiful little dog. Our other is Cody. Heâs 4 years old, and he thinks he owns Newtown. Heâs a hotshot.
How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved here when I was in sixth grade, going into seventh. I graduated in 1977 from Newtown High School. Bill Manfredonia was my wrestling coach and history teacher, and my mentor. My first job was at Newtown Hardware, when it was in the center of town. After we got married, we lived in Bridgeport for ten years. We moved back to the center of Newtown and lived there for 11 years, then in Bethel for two years. We are back in Newtown as of January 2012. It keeps pulling us back.
What do you like to do in your free time? What little free time I have, I like to work in the yard. I enjoy flower gardening. I like sports, and I really like country music. I listen and absorb the lyrics. It reminds me of our hometown. And I work out like crazy. Itâs a stress reliever.
Do you have a favorite sports team? Iâm a big Oklahoma City Thunder basketball fan.
Do you have a favorite travel destination? Rhode Island. We love the Wakefield/Narragansett/Kingstown area. Wakefield has just a down home kind of feeling. We hit the beach when we are there. We love Scarborough Beach.
What is the best thing about Newtown? Itâs the people. My clients have been with me since 2005. They are so much more than clients. They are my support group. They have been with me through rough personal and business times. The outpouring of care from people and friends all over here is wonderful. Iâm blessed to have that.
Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mom. She just passed away in January. She brought me up in the belief that you will get ahead with faith and sweat. She believed I would be successful. She was my rock.
Do you have a personal philosophy? You get what you give. Itâs one of the tattoos I have. My daughter, Rhea, designed it, and thatâs what I go by.
Do you have a guilty pleasure? Iâm an eBay nut! I look at everything from watches to sneakers. I buy stuff all the time. And I love pear martinis. Thereâs probably no one in town who makes a better pear martini than me!