PRPC Connections - Getting to know...

Paul A.

By Lori L.

TIMING

The day Janet sent me a text about my next Community Connectors candidate to interview for PRPC, I was already in the car with him.

Ironically enough, Paul, his wife Cass, and I were on a road trip to look at horses for sale. We were both looking for a unicorn to purchase that day.

I shared the good news that he had been selected, and remarked on how amazing it was that we all happened to be in the car together at that exact moment. Paul smiled and said, "Well, my life has always been about the timing, so this is not that surprising to me. Where do you want to start?"

At the beginning, of course.

Paul was born and raised in Templeton, graduating from the local high school in 1983. Deciding that being a nerd could possibly make him a lot of money in the booming software world, he settled on computer science. He and a couple of football jocks from high school packed up that summer and headed to Sierra J.C., where he earned his Associate's degree.

In 1985, Paul transferred to Cal Poly and by 1989 had finished his Bachelor's degree. While pondering where to head next, an offer from IBM in New York started the domino effect of travel, timing, and education. After a year of internship and Big Apple adventures, Paul had realized his dream of becoming a software engineer.

In 1990, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter in Mesa, Arizona had a position for him. Paul said goodbye to the big city — and the cold weather — packed his shorts and golf shirts, and headed to the Valley of the Sun.

This is the part of the interview where I watched Paul light up. He proudly told me that during his five years in Arizona, he designed the cockpit of the Apache AH-64 attack helicopter and trained fighter pilots through simulators on how to fly them. And that is why software engineers rock. Another great perk from McDonnell Douglas: after the day shift ended, engineers could attend night classes at the American Graduate School of International Business. Paul took full advantage, earned his Master's degree in finance, and transitioned to a role at Financial Information Services (F.I.S.).

In keeping with our theme of good timing, Paul followed the next bread crumb to Germany — and yes, he speaks German. Being able to work anywhere in the world is extremely handy when you love to travel and have talents that are unique in the world of finance. Paul began automating the Global Stock Exchange, and that particular skill led him to live on three continents and travel to more than 25 countries.

Finally ready to trade the globe-trotting for something new, in 1998 Paul landed in Chicago, where he was lucky enough to meet a beautiful woman named Cassandra in 1999. Not only was she gorgeous and brilliant — she worked at ESPN. Paul assured me the free sports tickets had nothing to do with his falling in love with the stunning Cass, though he did confess they enjoyed some memorable date nights at nearby Wrigley Field watching the Cubs.

FAMILY TIME

Paul proposed to Cass in the Maldives. Yes, that place — the one with the white sand and the astonishing turquoise water. After a beautiful evening of magic and romance in the perfect spot, Cass said yes.

After Chicago, they moved to San Francisco for a couple of years, where Paul continued his career with F.I.S., still automating the stock exchange and working in risk and analysis. Cass was with Yahoo at the time, and while they both worked hard, they played just as hard. Paul loved racquetball, mountain biking, and softball. Cass was running and riding horses. No pickleball — yet.

From the Bay Area, they moved to Singapore from 2002 to 2004, after Paul was offered a position in financial systems support overseeing all of Asia, from New Zealand to China. His downtime was spent traveling the region looking for great dive spots, while Cass kept up her love of all things equine with a horse she found in Malaysia.

Moving back to the States, they settled in Los Angeles from 2004 to 2008, welcoming daughter Tala in 2005 and son Wyatt in 2007.

Paul soon decided the timing was right to head home to Templeton — the small town he had grown up in and loved. As he puts it, it took him 18 years to leave and 24 years to come back. Both kids thrived there and graduated from Templeton High. Tala is now studying to become a veterinarian at Cal Poly, following in her dad's footsteps, and Wyatt has his sights set on a career as an orthopedic surgeon, currently studying at UC San Diego — which also happens to be Cass's hometown.

THE CLUB

Paul started playing pickleball three years ago on his birthday, quickly became addicted like the rest of us, and is quite the force on the west side courts — as is Cass.

Paul says PRPC offers friendly socializing and great people to play with. The club has a cool vibe, wonderful camaraderie, and a family feel like no other. Everyone has fun and enjoys each other's company, but you can also find fierce competition any day of the week. The tournaments and weekly round robins have been highlights, and the club's governing body keeps things moving in the right direction — most recently with the exciting move to the new courts. And if anyone in the club ever needs anything, someone will always show up.

OFF THE COURTS

When Paul isn't adding up wins on the west end, you can find him kayaking, fishing (both deep water and fresh), archery hunting, hiking, snow skiing, and camping.

When entertaining guests — especially those making use of the personal campground on his property — Paul can be found grilling something from his latest catch or hunt. Expect an engaging story from one of his adventures alongside a meal topped off with a pitcher of margaritas or a glass of excellent local wine.

The word that best describes Paul, in this author's opinion, is spontaneous. Saying yes to life has a way of taking you around the world and back again. Paul's walk-up song is Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" and his motto is simple: Always continue to explore. Always continue to change.

Oh — and we did bring home a horse that day. A beautiful paint mare named Victoria. But as we traveled back, out of nowhere it began to sprinkle, then came a cloudburst, and soon that pretty horse heading to her new home had a new name: Rain.