Client Focus

 

  At Strategic Wealth Concepts we have the most diverse and interesting clients. We would like to share with you some of the exciting and interesting things that our clients do and experience. Each month we will feature one of our clients in our Client Focus newsletter. If you have experiences or stories that we can feature in our Client Focus, please send us an email at breezyhunter@pwfinancial.net.  

 

Sincerely,
Dan McPherson
 
 
 For this months Client Focus, we're going to highlight a serviceman who is currently deployed and is overseas serving our country.  He'll be returning towards the end of summer and at that time will be looking for employment. Should you or anyone you know, know of a position that could use his services, please contact our office and let us know.  This would be a great opportunity to help a serviceman as he comes back from overseas and to say thank you, for all that these brave men and women have done for us.
 
John Seward 
 
            

 

 

  • Stationed at Victory Base Camp, south of Baghdad, Iraq
     
  • Force Protection Guard and Sergeant of the Guard at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex
     
  • Functioned as presidential resort for Suddam Hussein until taken over by US coalition forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
     
  • Supervision of  security units throughout the palace complex
     
  • As Sergeant of the Guard, responsibilities include making sure all units are taken care of and well supplied
     
  • Guard the entry points to the complex and allow only authorized personnel
     
  • Camera surveillance which can view 360 degrees around the entire complex
     
  • 12 hour shifts, 6-7 days a week
     
  • Day time temperatures are above 122 (their thermometer’s stop at 122, so who knows how hot it really gets)
     
  • Night time temps are in the 90’s


 

This month we will be introducing you to Barbara Hawkins. She is an amazing woman. Barbara and her husband Hal are a couple of our superb clients.  Hal wrote this article about his wife and we hope you enjoy getting to know this wonderful woman. 

 

 

Barbara Hawkins

 

Born the youngest of four children Barbara grew up loving to ride horses, play sports and hunt. She learned to cook and sew from her mother and in 4H. Barbara often said that her mother told her she could not get married until she knew how to cook and could make bread. In High School Barbara secured the lead female role in the musical ‘Music Man’. Her love for singing and dancing brought her much joy and was a benefit to her as she taught dance and conducted choirs for over 15 years. Her singing and spunky personality helped her win several beauty pageants and her love for horses helped crown her a rodeo queen.

Barbara married Hal, whom she met at a dance, together they have five children. They raised their children on the famous King Ranch in South Texas where Hal was employed. Barbara always wanted to be a mother and be at home when her children came home from school. She honed her cooking and sewing skills and continued to enter her wares in county and state fairs. She would usually place first or near the top, she has a pecan pie that has won first place every time she enters it. That pecan pie, along with two other baked entries and three hand work projects were taken to the Eastern Idaho State Fair on her way to Salt Lake to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital for surgery. She has had cancer three times and is just too stubborn to let it get the best of her. The surgeries and treatments have taken their toll on her; she has commented that the treatment is almost worse than the disease. The attached picture is all the first place and best of show ribbons that was won while she was at Huntsman for surgery. This last year Barbara won the coveted Four Star Baker award at the EISF, She also won first place in the cookie division. She will tell you that she loves to bake cookies. She has 10-12 recipes that are all winners. If you don’t believe me ask Dan and the people in his office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert McPherson

We have a lot of great people we work with, but this month I wanted to introduce you to my dad.  I have been blessed with having my hero and the man I look up to in my life also be my dad.  My dad is very humble and doesn’t talk about himself, so this week’s email is going to come as a surprise to him as he didn’t know we put it together.   My dad taught me a lot of great lessons, the three that stand out to me are:

Family and Spirituality

Hard work and Integrity

Service and Loyalty

 

 

Robert has led an extraordinary life. In 1969, he graduated from Norwich University, which is a private, military university located in Northfield Vermont.  After graduation he was a commissioned officer, but moved over to an enlisted officer so that he could be out in the field with his men instead of at a desk. He retired as a E-9 Sergeant Major with the 19th Special Forces Group. He was also wounded in battle in Vietnam. While serving in the military he had extensive training as a Pathfinder, Airborne Ranger and Green Beret. His military career ended in 2009 after 40 years of service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later in life, Robert returned to school and got his PHD in History from Brigham Young University. He served for a number of years as the Dean of the College of Eastern Utah, San Juan Campus. He is the author of 14 different history related books on the topic of Native American History.

 

He also spent 15 years a Boy Scout leader.  While serving as a scout leader his troops had some amazing trips due to Bob’s background in the Special Forces.  The Scouts affectionately referred to him as Rambob.

 

Robert is just another one of our extraordinary clients.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mike Vorachek
Search and Rescue
 Started in search and rescue with the Civil Air Patrol in 1967. 
-Became an Emergency Medical Technician in 1972 and has served with multiple EMS   organizations since then. Certified as a Wilderness EMT.
- Currently a Board member and Emergency Medical Services Officer with Bonneville County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
- Past National Officer’s Committee with the Mountain Rescue Association. 
- Currently serves on the Medical Committee and Federal Coordination Committee
- One of approximately 20 members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency SAR Working Group
- Currently serving as the Emergency Services Officer for the Idaho Civil Air Patrol.
- Past member of the Las Vegas Metro Police SAR team (6 years)
 
Law Enforcement
- Volunteer Reserve Deputy with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office. 
- Serving as Medic for the Sheriff’s SWAT team.
- Volunteer Law Enforcement Office at Utah Olympic Park for 3 weeks during 2002 Winter Olympics.
- Six years with the State of North Dakota as the Hazardous Materials Coordinator with the ND Highway Patrol and a Deputy State Fire Marshal.
 
Military
- Enlisted in the US Air Force in 1972. 
- Staff Sergeant with the ND Army National Guard. 
- Attended Officer Candidate School and commissioned as 2nd LT in 1978.
- Completed 34 years of active and reserve component service, retiring as a Lt Colonel in 2006.
 
 
 
 
David Crandall
 
David Crandall has been a client of ours since 2008. He works as an Engineer and Inventor at Idaho National Laboratory. In his personal time Dave loves shooting and is a World Champion Marksman. Dave is an eight-time Idaho State Champion and was a member of the silver medal winning U.S. Team in 2003. The US Team participated in the Australian National Championships held last month in Brisbane, Australia. Dave participated and came home with a third place finish in the 1,000 yard event as well as taking first place with his team in two team matches. His wife is also an Idaho State High Power Champion. Talk about a family of skilled shooters! Dave recently took his passion for shooting to work with him and invented the MicroSight. The MicroSight is a break-through in shooting sights which allows objects close by and far away to be in focus at the same time. This is actually impossible with the naked eye since our eyes are only designed to focus on one point at the same time. The unaided human eye can focus at only one distance at any given moment. This works on the concept of zone plates which were originally discovered back in the 1800’s by a French physicist. Dave really enjoys his work and his chosen sport. He said, “It’s a world-class sport, and I get to go to interesting locations. I see it as the highest adventure that I’ve been able to find and can engage in.” 
 
For more detail on David Crandall and the MicroSight, visit accurate shooter’s article on David’s invention at http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/?s=Crandall. David was also featured on the front of The Idaho Falls Post Register Outdoors section on November 11, 2010.