This month’s Spotlight of the Month is Brian Baker!
Brian was born and raised outside of Santa Barbara, California and moved to rural west Texas for high school and college. He eventually moved back to California where he attained an MBA at The California Coast University (in Los Angeles). Growing up as a young boy, Brian enjoyed playing racquetball with his mother and finished 1997 ranked #3 in Texas for ages 24 and under until a knee injury ended his ability to compete. Brian then moved to Dallas in 2005, and began working at Vizient Inc. in 2007. Brian is an Enterprise Client Manager at Vizient Inc. (supporting Partners Healthcare in Boston). He has been in this role for 6 years and with Vizient for 11 years total. Brian met his beautiful wife Jean in 2006. They got married in 2009, and welcomed a son in to the world in 2011.
Brian also owns two companies. Brian founded Texas Housing Partners LLC in 2013 which was founded to help people avoid foreclosure (pro bono). In 2014, the company expanded to buy and sell residential and commercial real estate. After working on a building in North Dakota and a property in Georgia, Brian founded Tri-State Housing Partners LLC in 2017 to accommodate his growing business.
Brian credits his professional success to having great role models, talented co-workers, and outstanding leaders, who have guided and coached him throughout his career.
Brian joined the NSA in 2014 and attended his first conference in Dallas just last year. The conference was an awesome experience. “It was amazing to see hundreds of people who sound like me. I could breathe a sigh of relief and just be myself”. Brian credits his stuttering as helping him to be more of an active listener, as well as for developing empathy and compassion for others. Brian has patience for people who struggle in life for various reasons. Brian’s goal is to continue to spread awareness, help educate others about stuttering, and to show that we all can achieve our dreams.
Next time you see Brian, ask him how to avoid foreclosure!
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