It is with pride and joy I present to you the next member of Team Do Good, the mighty Scott Peper. I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate Scott here via Tampa Bless and Team Do Good. His willingness to participate in this feature and to provide feedback is highly appreciated. And now, without further ado...
Name: Scott Peper
Place of birth: Troy, NY
Currently reside: Tampa, FL
Heritage: Upstate NY (just kidding) - Italian and German
Family: Wife and best friend of 20+ years and 3 daughters (13, 11, and 9)
Alma Mater: Keuka College - graduated in 1997
Occupation: Business Owner
Activities you organized or participate in related to helping others and uplifting humanity? I realize this is an uncomfortable question to answer because it feels self-promotional, yet it's important to share so to inspire others:
Society of St. Joseph, Knights of Columbus, Feeding Tampa Bay, Trinity Cafe, K-9 for Warriors, A Kid’s Place, Meals on Wheels, and Christ The King Church and School
The Tampa Bless 12
1) Favorite pastime or hobby? Why? Please explain.
My favorite was basketball and it was a huge part of my life till I was about 35-36 years old. It was my exercise, mental release, and the primary way I had met many lifelong friends. I played through high school and college and then after school played in as many pick-up and men’s leagues as I could find. Once we started having kids and traveling more for work it became difficult to devote the time to basketball. I still play some golf (not nearly as much as I would like) which is also a good release and fills in some of the voids I miss from basketball.
2) Favorite sport, team, or player? If not into sports, your favorite musician or album? Or answer one of each if you’d like or any combo. Please explain why for any one or more of the questions you answered.
Michael Jordan was my all-time favorite player of any kind. I grew up watching every game and early on was drawn to the way he could dominate his craft so consistently. I used to watch all the games and closely pay attention to how he played the game and behaved. I remember many nights practicing late in my driveway as a kid for hours on moves I thought I watched and tried to teach myself.
3) Favorite movie? Why? Please explain.
Shawshank Redemption - It is a great story of friendship, loyalty, perseverance, grit, and a general never give up attitude!
4) Favorite place (country, city, town, etc…) you have visited and why?
Tampa - I call it home now, but it is where all things in life really started to come together for me. My wife and I started our life here, I’ve spent the majority of my professional career here and all of my kids were born here. It is where I feel at home and Tampa will be the place we call home forever.
5) Last meal? You could have anything, what is it? Why? Please explain.
Italian food - any kind - pasta, meatballs, lasagna, fish, steak, even pizza… I love Italian food and don’t eat nearly enough of it. The flavors and sauces in the food make it taste the best to me. Even pasta with sauce from a jar is good!
6) 3 activities or routines you would highly recommend? Please explain your reasoning for each.
1. Nutrition & Exercise - I believe you have to take care of your body in order to operate and be your best self. If I don’t feel my best then it is very hard for me to perform my best. I believe that in order to fulfill the commitments I have to my family, my team at work, friends, and myself I am obligated to do my best and if I try to start without feeling my best then it puts me in a bad spot from the start. What you eat is even more important and putting yourself on a consistent food and nutrition program that is designed for you is one of the most important things you can do every day. If you think about food like it is a drug that will either help you or hurt you, it is a lot easier to make food choices each day as to what you will eat for each meal. This is not a “diet” but more of a consistent food choice or program that you follow all the time. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat “bad” foods or have dessert - it just means there is a program you follow that you know will help you feel your best which in turn will allow you to be your best self and provide you the most energy all the time.
2. Set Specific Goals - I believe you need to know what you want and where you are going in order to be truly happy. If you set goals and understand where you want to go then you can be fulfilled each day knowing what you are working towards. It is impossible to remove “time” from where you want to ultimately end up. Often times you can be miserable or feel defeated every day because you are not where you want to be or believe you should be. By setting goals you can then see a path toward that outcome, align your daily activities with what will produce that outcome, and know that if you just keep repeating day after day you will achieve those goals and you are making strides closer each and every day. To me, it is a much better way to feel great and happy then defeated because you aren’t across the finish line yet and therefore feel like you have failed.
3. Faith - Find it, maintain it, work at it, let it be the lead guide in your life. The hope, structure, peace, and guidance your faith can provide to you is so powerful. If all of us just followed the 10 basic commandments and allowed those 10 rules alone to guide our decisions the world would be in a better place and people would be much happier. It is not easy - it’s even hard, however accomplishing the hard things in life is what I believe truly makes a person happy. I believe most people don’t walk away from a situation they put only half their effort into and feel their best. It’s the times they worked very hard at something they felt they may not be able to accomplish and when they did it made them happy. Helping others allows you to feel the best you can and having a strong faith guide you will bring your thoughts and actions in line with what is most important for you!
7) A) Personality trait you highly value? Why? Please explain. B) The personality trait you highly dislike? Why? Please explain.
A. Accountability - do what you say, say what you do. Can you be counted on to stick to your word and fulfill what you say you will do? It is so important to me that a person will do what they say they will do - it is the ultimate guide into someone’s character to me.
B. Dishonest / Disingenuous - being fake, pretending to be someone you are not, or just flat-out lying. These are traits I just don't have any tolerance for and I now choose to separate myself from people who struggle with this.
8) Favorite thinker (author, philosopher, theologian, etc…)? Why? Please explain. And what is your favorite piece of advice, quote, or text from them or in general? Why? Please explain.
I really don’t have a favorite or one in particular person or author or theologian and don’t want to just throw one up for the purpose of answering this question. What I will say is that I have been an active listener to all people for a long time and I have found that the best guidance and advice has come to me from many different places. My parents are amazing and certainly laid down a great foundation for me from the start. However, now I can truly say what I see, hear, and read from all places can have a significant impact. Oftentimes it is just one thing someone might say or I read that triggers a thought in my head which is what I needed to hear at the time - could be on a related topic but often is unrelated altogether.
9) Biggest influence in your life or a top one, and what was it about them that really stood out?
My wife, Jessica. She is honest, pure, and will always tell it like it is. She is tough but fair and the most loyal, loving person. She cares more about our family than she does about her own self and she will do anything to help all of us accomplish what we have set out to do. She is 100% supportive of our collective goals and empowers me to accomplish what we set out to do together. She is the most important person to me and the love of my life.
10) If there is one thing you could change in the world, what would it be?
I would want to influence more people to do what is inherently “right” versus what I believe most often is people trying to prove they are right. The attention people spend trying to prove they are right at all costs versus just doing what is right is ultimately leading to most of the negative things we all have to experience in our lives. It clouds one's ability to see things clearly and objectively which is needed to make the right choice. This is applicable to personal decisions, business, government, and even political issues.
11) Where did your desire to help others and uplift humanity come from? Please explain.
I think it originally came from me thinking it was what I was supposed to do and therefore I felt a sense of guilt not doing my part. I had a desire to align my actions with what I thought in my head. Now, selfishly it makes me happier when I help someone else than most other times. Seeing the joy or difference I had in making someone’s day or getting them through a tough spot or even just making an introduction to someone or something that they got benefit from is so rewarding. I also believe very strongly in the Law of Attraction. What you put out into the Universe you will attract. If you root everyone on and are their biggest fan, you will have people rooting for you too. If you help people where and when you can, people will do the same for you. It does not always come back from the same place or person you helped. It may come from somewhere completely unrelated but it will come. I believe the Universe or God will make sure of it.
12) What are you working on now and how can people get involved?
Right now I am focusing mostly on my family. We have 3 daughters (13, 11, and 9) that are in the key stages of their lives and they need their dad to be awake and present for them. For that aspect of my life, people can help me and us by praying for us all to continue to stay healthy, happy, and safe together and to allow us to be able to accomplish the goals (individually and collectively as a family) we have set for ourselves.
In my business life, I am one of the owners of a company called Mobilization Funding. We help small and medium-sized businesses grow and accomplish their goals by providing the capital to execute on the work they have in front of them. That work usually is in the form of a Purchase Order or Contract and the costs associated with getting that work finished and paid to them is where we fit in (materials, labor, equipment, and other costs of goods sold items). People can help me and us by getting the word out and letting companies and friends know we are out there and looking for new customers and people to help. Connect with me on LinkedIn or just shoot me a note, or send folks to our website (mobilizationfunding.com), and, of course, prayers are always appreciated!
Editor's note: Tampa's Society of St. Joseph, which Scott mentions his involvement in, is currently doing a fundraiser in which they've been able to organize a match for the group. The goal is to raise at least $40,000, and they will match dollar for dollar up to $20,000 - together providing more than 16,000 to-go meals! Link here: https://donate.feedingtampabay.org/event/society-of-st-josephs/e285065
Thank you so much for your time Scott and for all that you do. The place we live in is that much better because of you. I hope that this feature has served to inspire you, as well as successfully celebrate those that help others and uplift humanity.
If you like, please subscribe below to the Tampa Bless blog and be on the lookout for the next featured member of Team Do Good as well as check out the Tampa Bless store for the latest offerings. Let's go! May God bless y'all and thank you for your support. Much love and appreciation.
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