: Best Gym
: Best Gym 2008, 2009, & 2010 by
: Best Gym
: Best Gym 2008, 2009, & 2010 by
: Best Gym
: Best Gym 2008, 2009, & 2010 by
I am Italian, 53 years old. I have lived in Austin for the past 31 years. I went to college in Brussels, Belgium, where I earned a Physics degree with highest honors mention, in 1978. I came to Austin shortly thereafter to do thermodynamics and laser spectroscopy research at UT, but eventually decided to get into business. After being a partner for 4 years in a solar manufacturing venture, I started my own business in lighting, without any outside investors.
I was the president of MetalOptics for 15 years. Over my tenure at MetalOptics sales grew from $150,000/yr to $28,000,000/yr. Employment grew from 2 to 220 employees. Our facilities expanded from an initial 800 sqft space to our own modern plant of 135,000 sqft for which we won a National Energy Efficiency award. I managed every aspect of the business, to the exception of accounting and MIS, which were managed by my partner. While not a programmer by trade, I participated hands-on in the design of our business operation database systems, which integrated every aspect of our work, from the sales interface to accounting, payroll, manufacturing, assembly, inventory, CAD/CAM design, and plant automation. 7 U.S. and International Patents have recognized my innovative design lighting work. Thanks to our custom approach to energy efficient fluorescent lighting, MetalOptics re-lighted the interior of such facilities as the G.E. World headquarters, Columbia University, the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, all the Eckerd Drugs Stores, all the 7-11 Stores, various Hewlett Packard, AT&T, Honeywell, Sun Microsystems facilities, and a multitude of schools, hospitals, and office buildings across the US. We were chosen as a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award of 1994 for our excellent financial performance, manufacturing efficiency and sustained growth rate. A more meaningfully personal recognition is the tally of the energy savings generated through Metaloptics work: 6,000+ Megawatts, or more than the South Texas Nuclear Project and its twin Comanche Peak combined.
In 1996 we sold MetalOptics to Holophane, a public company as part of a strategic acquisition. After the standard 3-year employment contract, I left MetalOptics on December 31, 1999. During the following 2 years I traveled, performed volunteer work for various charities and for the McCallum High School Theatre Technology Classes. Also in 1999 I opened a rowing club on Town Lake, known as Rowing Dock. Rowing Dock is a small operation whose yearly sales are in the order of $300,000/yr. However it is the #2 City of Austin Concession in downtown's Zilker Park. Rowing Dock operates from a unique 4000 sqft floating facility that I have designed and built personally. It offers rowing instruction, memberships and boat rentals.
The relevant expertise I have brought to Castle Hill is in small business, niche marketing, business systems, green technologies, people’s leadership and management. I am a low ego hands-on individual with a proven track record of success. The opportunity to operate a high-end small fitness and wellness studio has been an excellent match for my skills, my entrepreneurial spirit, and my commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Castle Hill has been operating since October 2002, from completely renovated state of the art 20,000 sqft facilities. Our efforts have been rewarded with three consecutive wins (2008, 2009, and 2010) of 'Best Gym in Austin' in the Austin Fit Magazine readers' poll.
| Castle Hill Fitness | 1112 N. Lamar Blvd, Suite B Austin TX 78703 | tel: 512-478-4567 |
