"PHD, MBA, BA, to me it’s all BS. Street smarts are where it's at."
--Troy McClain
Born in Anchorage Alaska, Troy spent the majority of his childhood split between both Alaska and Montana. He was not able to pursue any higher education because he took on the responsibility of supporting his mother and sister at a very young age. Troy ran a health club in Spokane, WA for a couple of years, before he decided to enter the field of investing. He is currently building an insurance business and working as a mortgage lender. He is also involved in real estate development and owns 7 properties.
What is your definition of "success"?
For me this would be hard to define. I am always wanting more after I achieve what I thought was enough. I guess my definition would be when I have reached a point in my life that I could return to my wife and family all the great things they have given to me, and given up for me. I would happily work for a lifetime to try to give back what they have given me. Love, respect, and pride in myself. They showed me, degree or no degree that I can still achieve whatever I set my mind to achieve. In my mind, when I give them back that same feeling, I have become successful.
Who do you admire most (personally and/or professionally)?
Personally, I admire my Grandpa. He served his country with honor and pride and asked for nothing in return. He came back from the war to raise all the hero's in my life, my mom and my uncles. He did this on his own, without a wife, as she was killed in a tragic car accident. He raised my mom and her siblings to live off the land and be proud of who they are and who they would become. He taught them about respect and honor and how to be tough yet warmhearted. I admire him for his grit and integrity. My grandpa is the "Donald Trump" of the common people. he's a true "billionaire" in life and even more, in my heart.
As for professionally, I admire Donald Trump of course. Ever since I was a kid I fought to be like Donald Trump. Everybody said "no way" I didn't have the smarts or I didn't have the "pedigree". They said it takes money to make money and I didn't have enough money to make half his money. Well my mom said differently. She said if you want bad enough, "go for it" and she would support my decision. She said, "it only takes hard work". So, my senior year I put my plan into action. I said in my senior quote "Trump, I'm coming." Since then, I have worked my tail off to get as close as I could to the man I admire. Trump was more or less a goal to achieve. I thought to myself if I aim as high as Trump and I get at least half way, well hell, I'm ten times better off from where I started. Trump has what I admire most, and what other people admire about me, grit and instincts. With these two things plus the qualities I see in my grandpa I know I can become just like the men admire most. A billionaire in life and in the bank!
What cartoon character do you most relate to and why?
This is an easy one for me. It would have to be Walt Disney's "Robin Hood." I can remember being a kid and seeing this movie for the first time and thinking to myself, "this is what I am going to do for my family, for my friends, for everyone!" I was Robin Hood. My whole goal in life was to make as much money as I could simply to give back to all the people around me who had none. Who wouldn't want to be Robin Hood? He's a great hunter, an awesome fisherman, takes care of his family and he gets the lady.
Troy was my "gut" first choice when I watched last evening.
After reading his profile, I really like him.
He seemed to lose a little of the good ol' boy thing during the task. "On the job" he is strong, confident and decisive. He was selected as the leader and he took charge and addressed the team with a plan on short notice. Good job.
He flagged a little as their sales lagged and I do agree that he was inconsistent in support of his team members.
Sam was thinking outside the box, and Troy should have found a way to be supportive. He could have given Sam a time limit for his side play, or maybe even asked the rest of the team to think about and present any other Hail Mary suggestions.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Troy's a contender also. But he hasn't spent much time in big cities. It's very fast pace and cut throat versus Anchorage and Montana. He's good at back home. Let's see if he gets washed out with Kwame, Bill, and the others.
You should see me in the big cities. I'm not good in them either, and I thought about their last project.
The last time I was in Chicago, I got lost. I decided to take a trip with some business friends of mine and we had no idea the buses didn't go back into Chicago. We didn't even know where we were, or how to get back. It was -16 degrees and I was dressed for the south. Our taxi cab brought warm jackets for us to use. She's kept in touch with us and knows my friends here. You want to talk unprepared!
I ended up trying to get directions from an officer who pretended he didn't speak English. He thought it was funny (and so did I) but we had to walk several blocks to a train station. Then we had to wait in the freezing cold for over an hour for the last train back to the city. When we boarded the train, the conductor said "ok, what's your story?"
Once I got back into the city I was ready to go home. There were too many people, too cold, and the taxis were bumper to bumper. To make matters worse, some scaffolding fell from one of the buildings, around the corner where were staying, and it landed on two or three cars waiting at a red light. It killed them
I would not make it in a big city at all. I felt insecure, lost, and overwhelmed by all the people and lack of open fields, cotton fields, and farming land. I hated it there!
Gumdrop counter, despite your initial sad experience in a larger cosmopolitian area like the Windy City, you CAN make it if you keep trying and not giving into despair. Big cities bring big pay offs and huge opportunities. Along with it plenty of diverse experience and different options to outcomes.
What you described reminds me of my first experience trying to get around Chicago also. Our team took the train after work to some comedy theatre which was like any other commuter ride and the later night return trip was quite an experience. Some homeless were riding aboard to escape the cold approached me and struck up a conversation. It made me realized how fortunate I've been, despite my humble upbringing. (My friends still tease me how I can get along with everyone including the destitutes.) I also came away with the same impression, "nice place to visit, not my kinda town." Well, I've been back and forth quite a few times there for meetings and business, the latest three months ago on a national convention. Commuted from different sections of the area and have learned to adjust in navigating through the city complexities. Some of my fondess are visiting the Sears Tower on the day when some Spiderman in spandex was actually climbing it and eventually got arrested. Sidewalk spectators got a kick seeing him walking up and down the tower glass panes in suction cups, with the Chicago's finest waiting patiently. Another was touring the Chicago Merchantile Exchange and seeing the trading pit actions. Lakeshore drive was spectacular. Many walk rather than take the taxi on nicer days. Restaurants and Chinatown were great, just like New York and other major cities. Chicago has lots of culture and richness from the people who bring the talents there.
Trump presented in the last episode a team challenge to accomplish certain tasks requiring vendor acquisition skills from a diverse list of purchase orders. It was understood that they were to be bought from the local communities with a fixed budget in mind. Sam the Project Leader was handicapped in not understanding the big city complexities and as a result came out feeling defeated. What I saw was how important it was to develop urban skills to survive in city commerce . They don't teach that in colleges. The girl's team successfully traded with apparently a middle-eastern businessman for the golf club and the guy's team with another didn't. Both succeeded with the hair removals with another group of foreigners. Both did buy the gold from another apparent immigrant merchants. Neither succeeded in buying the octopus from Chinatown with tight margins.
Both NY and Chicago reminded me of many of the major cities I traveled to around the U.S. (Funny, two NYPD cops also claimed not to know where Radio City was as they patrolled it one block away.) Trump built his commercial empire because of his great skills in doing business and managing diversity with global talents in his backyard.
Ken NJ said this in post #6 : Gumdrop counter, despite your initial sad experience in a larger cosmopolitian area like the Windy City, [B]you CAN make it if you keep trying and not giving into despair.
Other than the deaths, my experience there wasn't sad. It was FREEZING! My experience was funny and I'm sure if people from Chicago came to my town, they would be bored out of their minds.
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Big cities bring big pay offs and huge opportunities. Along with it plenty of diverse experience and different options to outcomes.
This is great if big pay offs are where your goals are. My goals are living in a small community and only travelling to larger ones, but going home. If huge opportunities are what a person is looking for then a big city is right for them.
It isn't right for me. I don't want to see concrete everywhere I look, and so many lights that I can't see the stars at night. So many cars that you choke on fume.
Trump is probably rich because he goes where the opportunity is. I'm rich too. But that just depends on what you value as wealth. If it's money and assets, I'm worse than poor. If it's open spaces, peace, and doing what is right in spite of the consequences, I'm so wealthy I should be on the cover of Fortune 500.
quote:
What you described reminds me of my first experience trying to get around Chicago also. Our team took the train after work to some comedy theatre which was like any other commuter ride and the later night return trip was quite an experience. Some homeless were riding aboard to escape the cold approached me and struck up a conversation. It made me realized how fortunate I've been, despite my humble upbringing. (My friends still tease me how I can get along with everyone including the destitutes.) I also came away with the same impression, "nice place to visit, not my kinda town."
You have a very valuable quality in my book
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Well, I've been back and forth quite a few times there for meetings and business, the latest three months ago on a national convention.
I was there for COMDEX
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What I saw was how important it was to develop urban skills to survive in city commerce. They don't teach that in colleges.
This is a challenge I have to accomplish myself too. I know my job is going to take me to big cities, and I'll get by because I have too, but I'll long for home!
quote:
The girl's team successfully traded with apparently a middle-eastern businessman for the golf club and the guy's team with another didn't. Both succeeded with the hair removals with another group of foreigners. Both did buy the gold from another apparent immigrant merchants. Neither succeeded in buying the octopus from Chinatown with tight margins.
I'm getting a lot of business dos and donts from this show. I think it's an interesting approach to reality TV.
Kookaburra left INReview
Last edited by Kookaburra on 01-26-2004 at 06:16 PM |
Concrete city is the Big Apple. I happened to enjoy visiting there also. Not sure whether I would want to live there. The nearest sad experience I had was watching the Twin Towers struck and collapsing on 9/11 where it brought back personal experience for myself having attended an all day conference there a few months prior. Actually, the building security was extremely tight. I guess I will never forget the great views and those nice people that worked there.
As long as commerce continues, we all will get to travel to nice places whether NYC, Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Houston, Phila, Boston, Dal, San Fran, Seattle, New Orleans, Pitts, Denver, Cleveland, Phoenix, St. Louis, Minnesota and on and on..... This is the land of the opportunity.
Funny, I haven't been to Troy's two places of Anchorage and Montana. Perhaps, one day I'll have the opportunity to expand my horizon and dispell some myths and beliefs.
We all are rich from the experiences we accumulate and the amount of deposits into the bank account is just but one measure of success and quality of life. Some have one and not the other.
In New Jersey I looked for the gardens and finding none, ate in my first "diner" Also learned there is GREAT Italian food to be had ... that is if you are not afraid to be out after dark
In Louisiana I've only been to New Orleans but found it anything but boring ... had a mouse in my room ... no extra charge. I could eat beniets(sp?) until I explode !
Just a few tips for Chicago travel ... if possible fly to and stay at a hotel near O'Hare airport. Most of the hotels there have free shuttles to convenient public transportation you should use ... like the "el" or Metra ... to go "downtown". Also there are excellent restaurants in that area either walking distance or a short cab ride away.
Not much we can do about the weather except check ahead and try to pack/dress accordingly.
That scaffolding accident was horrifying ... but freak things like that can happen anywhere/anytime.
The people in Chicago are for the most part very friendly and welcoming. Sorry it didn't measure up ... but come back !
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Ken NJ said this in post #4 : Troy's a contender also. But he hasn't spent much time in big cities. It's very fast pace and cut throat versus Anchorage and Montana. He's good at back home. Let's see if he gets washed out with Kwame, Bill, and the others.
Troy can/will make it with his friendly, open and almost fearless attitude. Except for allowing big city Kwame to pick the wrong location in Epi1, he's doing ok in New York. I think he's probably gotten himself a map by now
One thing ... his little down home twangy thing can mark him as a "hick" in a place like New York and be a disadvantage.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The first thing I learned not to like about Louisiana was that they suck the juice out of the heads of miniature lobsters. I know a guy from there that plays guitar in a two-step band and they came to my state and had a Cajun festival. I just couldn't do it! They still have eyes on them!
I've never tried one.
I don't know when I'll start travelling with my job, but I have a feeling I'm going to be more on the reserved side.
Kookaburra said this in post #11 : The first thing I learned not to like about Louisiana was that they suck the juice out of the heads of miniature lobsters. I know a guy from there that plays guitar in a two-step band and they came to my state and had a Cajun festival. I just couldn't do it! They still have eyes on them!
I've never tried one.
I don't know when I'll start travelling with my job, but I have a feeling I'm going to be more on the reserved side.
Let's see... how to make this on topic.
[TOPIC] I'm not much of a Troy fan [/TOPIC]
My mistake, Kooka ... for some reason I thought you were in Louisiana ... maybe it seems like it's a good climate in which to grow gumdrop trees ?
I can't comment on visiting a Gumdrop tree ... closest I ever got was on a bus singing about your namesake
[ontopic]I guess I just like Troy's friendly manner and seemingly caring nature.
I could easily work with or for him and would love an employee like him working for me.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
oldbutafan said this in post #9 :
Ken and Kooka ...
In New Jersey I looked for the gardens and finding none, ate in my first "diner" Also learned there is GREAT Italian food to be had ... that is if you are not afraid to be out after dark
The people in Chicago are for the most part very friendly and welcoming. Sorry it didn't measure up ... but come back !
Some of the best food are served in traditional old diners. Almost all diners are friendly, family run and owned, giving it a personal touch. Come as you are, no reservations required. New Jersey and Pa. have IMHO some of the best diners in the Northeastern part of the United States . Diners generally open 24/7, except Christmas. Lately, the Greeks have invested heavily in this American popular phenomena and doing a wonderful job in competing against the fast food franchises. Their menu generally have daily specials. Diners now are permanent structures with all the modern conveniences of any restaurants. Diners still have their trade mark of located in a major highway intersection.
quote:
A true "diner" is a prefabricated structure built at an assembly site and transported to a permanent location for installation to serve prepared food. Webster's Dictionary defines a diner as "a restaurant in the shape of a railroad car." The word "diner" is a derivative of "dining car" and diner designs reflected the styling that manufacturers borrowed from railroad dining cars. A diner is usually outfitted with a counter, stools and a food preparation or service area along the back wall. Decommissioned railroad passenger cars and trolleys were often converted into diners
Yes, New Jersey is known as the garden state because of all the farms located here. The landscape is changing rapidly because of local commuter demands and development expansions from NY from the North, Phila in the Central section, and Atlantic City down South . Family farmers became millionaires with many tract housing developments and upscaled commercial malls. (Country's first indoor mall built in NJ) It since went high tech around the Princeton area - Silicon Valley of the East. Jersey is the nation's most densely populated state in this country. On the good side, second highest per capital income. On the bad side, highest auto insurance in the U.S. NJ would be an easier transition for Midwesterners than say the big cities. Next to NYC, Trump has his largest investments in Atlantic City, owning four major casinos and dozens of restaurants.
Kookaburra said this in post #11 :
The first thing I learned not to like about Louisiana was that they suck the juice out of the heads of miniature lobsters. I know a guy from there that plays guitar in a two-step band and they came to my state and had a Cajun festival. I just couldn't do it! They still have eyes on them!
You haven't enjoyed seafood until you tried at least a dozen crawfish. They're delicious. A dozen is nothing but an appetizer and won't fill your stomach. Taste like tiny lobsters. Next time in New Orleans, try their Oysters on the half shell - some of the finest. ^^^ Just Click Above
Oh BTW to stay on topic, perhaps the next episode the project will be to create a menu with exotic seafood items to see how well the participants can manage a Trump restaurant in Atlantic City. Some of the finest restaurants are in those casinos.
troy is great! he is my favorite guy- well jason was- but now that he is unfortunately gone- troy is- sam is a real sweetheart! he was sweet to sam even though nobody else was.
01-09-2004 06:36 AM
Another was touring the Chicago Merchantile Exchange and seeing the trading pit actions. Lakeshore drive was spectacular. Many walk rather than take the taxi on nicer days. Restaurants and Chinatown were great, just like New York and other major cities. Chicago has lots of culture and richness from the people who bring the talents there. 
You haven't enjoyed seafood until you tried 
