A Birthday Wish for a Special Friend of Travel Ape

It's hard to think back so far, but way before the days of 9/11, before the bubble really burst on Wall Street with the first Tech boom, before computers were almost as pervasive an appliance in every home as the stove there wasn't a Travel Ape. At least Travel Ape wasn't famous. Well to a special person who will remain nameless for the sake of anonymity, to Travel Ape there is no one more important person...Bar None !!! This person discovered, cultivated and made Travel Ape who he is today and has done the same for the website that shares Travel Ape's name, of course that is TravelApe.com. Today is this person's birthday, and straight from the Ape himself came a decree that special note be made in this person's honor. 

To many people the world is a non-stop tread mill of family, work, responsibilities that repeat and repeat. Not to say in any way that this is not a noble way to live, on the contrary, special commendations need to be made to honor the true heroes that live on these front lines. They make life in the world. To a select few a far greater burden falls upon them. To many these people live in the shadows, in the background and believe it or not are not in the limelight. These are visionaries. Whether it be artists, musicians or, yes, entrepreneurs, something pushes these people to a different path. This path is far from easy, although the pay out to the laymen observer seems like a life pitched from God above...It isn't. No better example exists, at least in the mind of Travel Ape and the rest of us here, than in the life of this person. Half self tortured and equally self driven, he's done what most people could only hope to accomplish. He's created and developed multiple and successful enterprises. He's provided jobs, opportunity and possibility for countless others. He's successfully grown his business enterprises for over 15 years...a feat not easily achieved. 

There is so much more. This man has ventured beyond the world of mere business and has excelled. He's participated in the World Series of Poker and although far from winning it, made money. He's produced video features doing so by intertwining his own special brand of personality with great professionalism.

For all of this Travel Ape wishes this great man a good day. A hearty Birthday Wish to a special friend for whom had they never met, Travel Ape surely admits his life would have been emptier and less fulfilling for the loss.