Name: Chris Brien
Age: Under 40
Title: Husband, Dad, Protector, Bearded Outdoorsman, Fighter, Contractor and Owner of Donut Bar Scottsdale
Married/Single: married to Sheley Brien
Kids: Jax – 9 & Reese – 7
City you live in: North Scottsdale
A typical day in my life includes…
making breakfast for my kids and taking them to school. Then off to whichever construction site we are working on, meetings, Donut Bar, gym, picking kids up from school, helping with homework, dinner, putting the kids to bed and chasing my wife.
I was born…
in Downers Grove, IL.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
is that it’s closer to San Diego than Illinois…but that’s not the only thing. I love that we can go skiing in the morning and be sitting by the pool in the afternoon.
I’m listening to…
Guns & Roses, in the garage building something with my hands.
My family…
outside of the four of us, it’s challenging.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
my wife, no matter the restaurant, just the two of us, having a great conversation.
One thing I cannot live without…
is being outdoors. I tried working in an office once and I quickly learned that I’m not cut out for it.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
a dentist.
I’m inspired by…
my wife, Sheley. I can honestly say that I have not met a more honest, hardworking, dedicated person who “says it like it is” (even if that’s not what you want to hear) that has such a big heart. She makes me try hard to be a better person.
The one person who motivates me is…
myself. I learned a long time ago that no one is going to believe in you more than you.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be….
social media. I would be like Thanos snapping his fingers and it would all disappear. I never really became a user, and I’m sure there has been some good to come from it, but I don’t think it’s worth the negativity, bullying, social withdraw and allowing people to remain anonymous while bringing down others.
The perfect day would be….
waking up early and making my family breakfast. Then heading to the beach to play in the ocean with my kids while checking out my wife in her bikini. Steaks for dinner, a glass of wine and kissing my kids’ goodnight. What would top it off would be hearing “I love you, Daddy” from my little girl.
My first job was….
working at night as a bartender while finishing flight school. I became a flight instructor, which led me to become a commercial real estate broker, which led me to become a commercial contractor (it’s a long story).
My favorite escape…
is anywhere that requires my wife to wear a bikini. Did I already mention that?
My life….
is always taking the hard way. For whatever reason, I have always chosen the hard way to do things no matter the advice or examples I have been given, but that has led me to be the man I am today and, given the opportunity, I would do it the same way again. It has never been easy, but it has definitely been an adventure.
I’m currently working on…
two major commercial construction projects, a brand-new insurance program, building a brand, raising my kids, romancing my wife and planning future vacations. Think bikinis…
Always…
be able to laugh at yourself. Don’t take everything so seriously.
Never…
never, never, never give up. (Winston Churchill)
Favorite Quote….
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” – Sylvester Stallone from Rocky Balboa.
Biggest Dream…
is to see the name of my company on the side of a major high-rise building under construction.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
people driving slowly, then speeding up when you try to pass.
