On June 7th, 2003, I was hired by the most admired brand in the world, Apple. At the time we were called Apple Computer, Inc. There was no iPhone or iPad, iCloud was called .Mac, optical drives were still common place, and our stock was eight dollars and change.

We were the underdog. We were opening retail locations and being told we would be the next Gateway. Best Buy scoffed at iTunes Store. Michael Dell was telling Steve Jobs to give the stockholder’s money back. We were 'more than just a store.'

It is hard to put into words what my journey with Apple has been. I have spent nearly half my life working alongside some of the most incredible people I’ll ever work with. And I have a historical perspective on the company and the technology industry that very few have or will ever have. If you want to criticize Apple for anything, you’re free to do so but if I’m around, you’re asking for a frank discussion about how you are likely very wrong.

Having tried to fit into a concise and fitting message, I couldn't do it. I would need a short book to say all that I want but I think I can give a glimpse into my story in my favorite way possible

I think one of my favorite ways to tell my story is:

Jaguar
Panther
Tiger
Leopard
Snow Leopard
Lion
Mountain Lion
Mavericks
Yosemite
Sierra
High Sierra
Mojave
Alpine
Big Bear
Kirkwood
Apex
Telluride
Sundance
Innsbruck
Okemo
Monarch
Whitetail
Tigris
Yukon
14 iPhones
16 iPads
36 iPods
14 Airport Basestations/Time Capsules
5 Apple TVs
4 Apple Watches
G3
G4
G5
Intel
A4
S1
W1
6 version of Final Cut Pro
Motion 1-5
Shake
Color
DVD Studio Pro
Aperture 1, 2, and 3
.Mac, MobileMe, iCloud
iTunes Music Store, iTunes Store, Apple Music
Beats by Dre
iLife
iWork
Apple Pencil
AirPods
AirPlay
HomePod
iPod Hi-Fi
iPod Socks
Studio Instructor, Creative, Programming Expert, North Michigan Avenue Historian, Video Creative
Retail Marketing Video Production
MLS 2014
Cupertino
Cooper
Genesis
Bristo
Apple Local Market
HDYWA?
In-store Core
Apple North Michigan Avenue
Apple Lincoln Park
Apple Pioneer Place
Apple Michigan Avenue
Caffé Macs Alves
Apple Pride, Apple Diversity, Reservation Pass
Chicago Community
I Am
North Michigan Avenue Family
Sport Pepper
GR 4
Studio Series
Genius Bar
iPod Bar
Mobile Bar
The Briefing Room
The Boardroom
The Malk
The Theater
The Studio
The Forum
Pizza
ProCare
One to One
Joint Venture
100% Renewable Energy
No surpises
5 down, 95 to go
More than just a store
Today at Apple
The Chicago Series
Teacher Tuesdays: Exclusive with Anthony Stirpe
An unknown number off iBooks, PowerBook, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, Mac Minis, PowerMacs, eMacs, iMacs, iMac Pros, and Mac Pros
And a badge number so low, people think it is my zip code.

There are too many people to thanks during all of my time at Apple but if you're reading this, I hope you know who you are. Thank you for all your support, friendship, companionship, love, tears, some damn good arguments, and nerding out ever so wonderfully.

Rumor has it that fewer than 100 people can are at Apple today with the same number of years or more. I’m not sure where this journey ends but there is a lot of exciting things to come.

During an After School Matters visit to Apple North Michigan Avenue, I was asked by a student what Apple's benefits were like. I could not talk about the internal aspects of how we do things at that level but my response was, "the biggest benefit is who I get to work with every day." This teen wasn't impressed by my response but it is true and from the heart. To all my friends and colleagues, you're all amazing and I would never have been anywhere for fifteen years without you.