Before I was helping families buy and sell homes in the San Fernando Valley, I had a very different plan: Save up enough money to buy a truck and become a pool man.
I had just started working at the bank — only a few months in — when I shared the idea with a couple of pool guys. Their advice? “Keep your job at the bank.” 😅
Not long after that, I had a chance encounter that shifted everything. One night, while ordering pizza, I saw a familiar face — Mike, who was delivering for Domino’s. I recognized him right away — he had worked at the arcade in the mall, which, back in the '90s, was the hangout spot. You could still smoke indoors, play Street Fighter for hours, and run into half your high school class. We’d both worked mall jobs — I was at Miller’s Outpost for a while — so when we crossed paths again at the door, there was this instant “Hey, I know you!” moment. We started talking, and I asked how I could get a job at Domino’s. Mike helped me get hired — and that moment would end up changing the trajectory of my life. Years later, he’d become my best man. Even though we don’t see each other as much these days, I love him to death.
That Domino’s gig kicked off a long delivery run — from there, I worked at Papa John’s, and eventually at Bruno’s Pizza in Canoga Park. Bruno’s was a local brick oven legend on the northeastern corner of Sherman Way and De Soto, and a place I’d been going to since I was a kid. Here’s a photo of the location from back in the 1950s. The owners — Jerry and Josephine — were already clients at the bank from when I worked there after delivering for them. That connection led to another side hustle, deeper community ties, and more perspective on what it meant to serve people well.
At the time, I was: • Working 30 hours a week at the bank • Attending Pierce College and Cal State Northridge (CSUN) full-time • Delivering pizzas across the Valley every night
Chatsworth. West Hills. Woodland Hills. Tarzana. Reseda. Winnetka. Bell Canyon. Calabasas. All before GPS — just me, a Thomas Guide, and a pizza bag in the back of my 1990 Toyota SR-5 4-wheel drive.
And I wasn’t just grinding — I was thinking ahead. As a new accounts rep, I started taping bank promos to pizza boxes, offering perks for opening accounts. It wasn’t a marketing campaign. It was me connecting dots. And it worked. People came in. Some of those clients? I’m still connected to them today.
Sadly, I lost a lot of my records when my PC overheated and burned out — the fan stopped working and this was before cloud backups. But what I didn’t lose were the relationships. Those stuck — and many of them still do.
Oh, and that truck? Yeah, I bought it. I had a $4,000 note with my family mechanic that I needed to figure out how to pay. That pressure added fuel to the fire. School, work, deliveries — the hustle was real, and the need was immediate.
Many of the friends I made during those years are still in my life. And those delivery routes? They’re now the neighborhoods I serve as a real estate advisor.
Just the other weekend, I threw together a solo pizza night at home. Trader Joe’s rectangular crust, olive oil, pizza sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, oregano, and Hormel thin stick pepperoni — the same style they used at Bruno’s, the kind that crisps up into perfect little flavor cups. I baked it right on the rack — they had a real brick oven at Bruno’s, but this was my best shot at recreating the magic at home.
And with that first bite, I was right back where it all began.
Because real estate isn’t just about property. It’s about timing, relationships, and having the guts to bet on yourself.
Later, when the refinance boom hit and banks like WAMU couldn’t keep up, another chapter would begin — one that would launch my entrepreneurial journey into lending and, eventually, real estate full-time. But that’s a story for another day.
If you're looking to buy or sell in the San Fernando Valley — or just want someone who knows the roads, stories, and people that make this place special — I'm here.
📍 I’ve driven the streets.
🍕 I’ve delivered to the doorsteps.
🏡 Now I help people like you find the right home — or move on to the next one.
Let’s talk about your next move — and maybe I’ll even bring a slice.****
