Carey Recognized in OBJ’s 2018 40 Under 40 Class

November 3, 2018 Personal

Carey was recognized in the Orlando Business Journal’s 2018 40 Under 40 Class. The announcement was made on October 23, 2018 and the celebration took place on November 8th, 2018 at Mango’s Tropical Cafe. 

From the Orlando Business Journal:

The City Beautiful is chock full of impressive young professionals who not only seek business success, but want to contribute to making Orlando a great place to live, work and play.

That’s what stands out about Orlando Business Journal‘s 2018 40 Under 40 Awards honorees, people who have proven their potential by taking leadership roles in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia or Brevard counties — and all are younger than age 40. These individuals also consider community service just as important as career advancement. Despite their young age, these 40 young men and women are playing a key role in shaping our community.

Carey shared the honor with 13 other UCF Alumni.  The Orlando Business Journal published an article about Carey‘s accomplishments that helped earn him this award.  If you are not a member of the Orlando Business Journal, you can read this article below:


By   – Associate Managing Editor, Orlando Business Journal
 

Carey Sobel went through the biggest change in his life thus far about a little more than a year ago, when he and his wife adopted a little girl.

The 31-year-old Orlando entrepreneur and his wife, Lauren, quickly adjusted from newlyweds to parents after they were married in December 2016 and shortly thereafter, adopted Lauren’s niece, Marley, who had lost both her parents. Marley, now 7 years old, recently became a big sister, as the Sobels had a baby in October.

Meanwhile, Sobel has had plenty of career activity in recent years. He leads a team of 32 employees as partner and chief strategy officer of Orlando-based marketing and advertising agency Three21 Creative Group LLC. Sobel began working at Three21 in September 2013 and played a big role in growing the firm’s revenue from roughly $100,000 the year before he joined to nearly $7 million in 2017, and now it’s on pace to hit $8 million by year’s end. Sobel also is a business intermediary of The Boss Group LLC, a business brokerage firm in which he has lead marketing efforts and completed several deals, helping boost year-over-year sales since joining in May 2013. He became partner in The Boss Group in August 2015.

Sobel also has owned several other businesses, including one that took pictures of students at nightclubs and bars and posted them online; a social networking firm; and several local restaurants. That entrepreneurial spirit helps him when it comes to networking and creating partnerships.

Sobel was chosen as an Orlando Business Journal 2018 40 Under 40 Awards honoree. Here’s more from Sobel:

My fun work title: Firefighter

What keeps me in Orlando: I moved here from Philadelphia to attend UCF, and put my flag in the ground, never looking back. Orlando now is my home, and I take pride in adding value to the community of my alma mater. I am involved in my eighth business in Orlando since my arrival, and see tremendous growth potential in real estate, technology and general commerce. The diversity of the city and all the hidden gems continue to surprise me. 

My hidden talent: I have been a DJ since I was 12 and all through college and after. I also owned a mobile entertainment company from my arrival in Orlando in 2005 until 2017, when I hung up the headphones.

Favorite morning drink: Triple shot of espresso, or latte with three shots of espresso. All that matters is, espresso. Lots of it.

My tattoo: I do not have one, but I plan to get one once all Philadelphia sports teams win a championship while I’m alive. So far, the Phillies and Eagles have done it; I’m waiting on the Flyers and Sixers.

Most used app on my smartphone: Slack to stay in touch with my 321 team; and Wunderlist, my way of keeping track of my schedule and to-do lists.

Where you can find me on social media: Instagram for my entertainment, LinkedIn for business development, and Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends across the country. But my favorite is Timehop, which recalls the current day but from 10 years ago. I enjoy looking at my journey and seeing how far I have come.

My three-word motto: Better than yesterday


Carey Sobel

  • Age: 31
  • College: University of Central Florida
  • Years with Three21 Creative: 5
  • Email: Carey.sobel@gmail.com
  • Community involvement: Donates time and money to UCF network, member of multiple boards and participant in speaking engagements; through Three21 Creative, has donated money and services to organizations including Ronald McDonald House and American Heart Association to name a few; helped form a foundation to support families dealing with losses from cancer, inspired by the death of his business partner’s mother in 2016

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Self-Awareness: The Surprising Key to Success

June 4, 2018 General Business, Personal

Self-awareness — or, the conscious knowledge of your character, feelings, motives, and desires — is the first step in creating the life that you want to live. When you learn who you are (and who you aren’t), it allows you to more clearly understand what you want out of life (and, perhaps, what you don’t).  

The first step in this process is understanding where you currently are, and pairing that with a desire to become better. After all, without a desire to improve yourself, you may find experimenting with self-awareness to be more difficult.

If you already have a desire to ‘be a better you’, you have probably identified something that needs improvement — probably a habit of some kind that has led to a negative outcome. For example, maybe you’re frustrated that you hit the snooze button on your alarm too many times in the morning, which creates a rushed, hectic start to your day, inevitably impeding your productivity.

Making the choice to become more self-aware requires a certain amount of vulnerability. You have to be honest with yourself, and recognize that doing this will require leaving your comfort zone.

In other words, you must unmask your insecurities.

 

Why Take a Journey of Self-Awareness?

Have you ever felt like you’re wearing a ‘mask’ in public?

Maybe it’s because you are scared of being vulnerable and showing your true self to others. Maybe you don’t feel 100 percent comfortable with who you are. Or maybe you’re afraid you won’t be accepted by others.

Whatever the reason, practicing self-awareness will help you better understand both the good and the bad — and work to improve yourself, which, in turn, helps you build the confidence necessary to remove your metaphorical mask.

When you are self-aware, you can see where your thoughts and emotions are guiding you. It allows you to take control of your actions so you can make the necessary changes to get the outcomes you desire.

Some people may roll their eyes and scoff at those that read self-help books or frequently talk about this topic. However, it reasons that if you are happy and content with yourself, you will live a happier and healthier life.

Additional benefits in practicing self-awareness:

  • Can help you become more patient and well-rounded, improving your mental/emotional health.  
  • Can help with anger management, and learning to control the amount of anger in certain situations.  
  • Can help one learn to better control their fear, by learning how to face it rather than living with it in the back of their mind.  
  • Can help individuals to become more confident, by overcoming situations where they will feel pressured or challenged (physically and/or mentally).
  • Can help to push through situations against boundaries that might have previously hindered growth.  
  • Can help to promote self-esteem, and when paired with positive thinking, (the combination) can literally transform lives!
  • Can help you become more successful.  

In fact, the most lucrative business people and professionals out there never stop learning (and this is not just in continuing education, but in self improvement and personal growth).

A Korn/Ferry International Study found that self-awareness impacts companies’ bottom line. In studying the stock performance of close to 500 publicly traded companies, researchers found that companies with strong financial performance, tend to have employees with higher levels of self-awareness than poorly performing companies.

Ultimately, in practicing self-awareness, you’ll find more purpose. This process will give you something to work towards and to look forward to. Your own personal thoughts and interpretations will begin to change. This change in mental state will also alter your emotions and increase your emotional intelligence, which is an important factor in achieving overall success.

In practicing self-awareness, you can become also become an inspiration to others by trying to achieve more in your own life. Being able to do this for yourself, and motivate others, makes it even more exhilarating.

 

The Intersection of Self-Awareness and Empathy

I wrote a blog about empathy last month, and through my exploration of that topic, I found self-awareness to be a crucial component to empathy. After all, it’s impossible to empathize with others if you believe that everyone is exactly the same as you.

To better understand and navigate relationships or connections with others, we must first understand ourselves. Self-awareness helps us to see our own biases, which can help keep us from simply projecting our own perspective onto others. By better understanding our own tendencies and patterns, we learn what truly makes us tick.

Daniel Goleman, author of ‘Emotional Intelligence, believes that emotional intelligence may even be more important than one’s IQ. I tend to agree. Empathy is technically the “other-awareness” — literally the direct counterpart to self-awareness. It is clear that both self-awareness and empathy are are two of the main pillars of emotional intelligence.

 

5 Tactics for Improving Self-Awareness

There are many unique ways to improve your self-awareness. Reading books that explain techniques through example are effective.

The following are five more ways to help you begin today:

Meditation.  While I’m not personally the most experienced when it comes to meditation, I know people who swear by it for its health benefits. This is an exercise that makes you more aware of your internal world of thoughts and feelings, and can assists oneself to accept these in a non judgemental way.  Meditation can help one to observe without reaction, which is a fundamental part of emotional intelligence. I personally, am hoping to adopt meditation into my daily routine more often.

There are some outstanding apps out there that have been recommended to me:

Journaling and Visualizing.  Keeping a journal of your daily experiences, and the feelings and emotions that go along with them, will allow you to more easily reflect. It is interesting to see how your values change over time.  Further, when you write down your goals and your priorities, you can then weigh them against your actions.  When you break down what is important to you on paper, it will helps you see how far you actions differed from your expectations.  

By journaling, it helps to recreate your mindfulness of ideas and thoughts that you may not cling onto throughout the day.  This process can also help you turn ideas into a step-by-step actionable process. You might quickly realize how important it is to actually visualize what you want to accomplish.  

Role Playing. A way to discover more about yourself is to pretend to be someone else. This is not easy to do, but will most certainly provide a different perspective and reveal aspects of yourself, that you often wouldn’t think about.

Psychology and Personality Quizzes. Learning more about your personality, is a key to understanding how your mind works. It also helps to discuss this with others in comparison so you can understand. These will help you categorize some of your personality traits and give you some insight as to how others may see you.

Some resources for these tests/quizzes include:

Ask Those Closest To You. Perhaps my best piece of self-awareness advice came from the book, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. In this book there was an awesome exercise which best described in this blog post recap called ‘The E-mail that Will Change Your Life”.  Essentially, you identify those closest to you, and make yourself vulnerable by requesting feedback (minus the sugar coating). While I do think it is best to do this in person, for the purposes of this exercise, I think doing it by email works. So I tried it out for myself.

I sent this to 33 of the people closest to me, and received quite a bit of feedback. While some chose not to answer (it is an understandably tough request), the answers I did receive were incredibly valuable. Oftentimes, our friends and family can know us better than we know ourselves.

 

Conclusion

Self-awareness is a difficult thing to “master”. And, in fact, can never truly BE mastered, as the process of practicing self-awareness is a journey, rather than a destination. Self-exploration will never fully end or be considered complete, because, as humans, we’re constantly evolving.

The process of learning and experiencing new things changes us, which is why working on becoming more self-aware is a valuable tool you can utilize for the rest of your life.

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Why You Shouldn’t Underestimate the Power of Empathy

April 2, 2018 General Business, Personal

What would you think if I told you there is a singular concept, that when put into practice, can dramatically improve both your personal and your professional life?

Through the end of 2017 and into 2018, there is one term that I’ve continuously encountered in my experiences. It has been a common theme in many business conferences I’ve attended. It’s has been a common topic of many conversations. It has been a solution to many problems. In fact, putting its meaning into practice has made me a better person. And it can do the same for you, if you understand and appreciate its power.

So what is this potentially life-altering concept?

It’s empathy.

While I don’t think I’ve ever really understood the definition of empathy prior to this exploration, I certainly didn’t understand the value of it — until recently.

Empathy is defined as:

The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.

Or, much more simply, it’s the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

 

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH EMPATHY

2017 brought me a 6-year-old daughter. I have developed an endless amount of respect for all parents, everywhere. Adjusting to parenthood has not been easy for my wife and me, and in fact has been substantially more challenging than we could have imagined. This experience has taught me personally just how selfish I was, and really, how selfish anyone is who is not a parent. The ability to do as you choose freely, to prioritize your own wants/needs first, is something that should not be taken for granted, pre-parenthood.  

Every parent will have their own experiences, and while it is fun to relate and share commonality, we should all appreciate each other’s unique path. The scenario of when the doctor tells first-time parents  “well, you are free to leave the hospital with your newborn child now, good luck”, is probably more consistent with my experience, except with a 6 year-old.

While initially angry when people would compare my situation with theirs, I realized it was just a lack of empathy and understanding. This life-changing scenario for me personally, has really opened me up to the topic of empathy in many regards.

 

MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH EMPATHY

Managing Teams

One of my companies has experienced rapid growth as we grew to 26 staff members; and never did I imagine co-managing such a large team. Having said that, it is with this incredible team of mine that has helped me to understand one of the most important lessons of empathy: listening freely without assumptions.  

Each day, it is important to be cognizant of your current personal thoughts and emotions.  Understanding that each conversation you participate in, the person on the other end has their own set of thoughts and emotions.  This includes different backgrounds, a different set of problems or struggles, and a different set of motivations and aspirations.  It is the act of being present in each conversation, and understanding who you are communicating with, that allows for more rewarding conversation.  

For example, in receiving a nasty email from a client complaining about a ‘mistake’ that my team had made, I decided to do some research in understanding both the client and my staff members’ perspective. Come to find out, the client was in the wrong, and while I had to smile and fix the problem for them, I did not get upset at my staff member for receiving the email.

While a simple solution, it is easy to see how the situation could have gone the other way. Practicing empathy for those that have a team they are responsible for, is an instrumental part of being a good leader.

 

Salesmanship

I love Gary Vee’s 51/49 rule, which is simple and states to give more than you get. This can be translated to listen instead of self promote. Let your prospect do the majority of the talking, and let them tell you what they want (and what they don’t want). Let them share their thoughts and experiences, before you offer yours.   If you give your prospect the advantage, it is much easier to leverage your 49%, when the person you are engaging with feels like they have the 51%. This isn’t about a game however; it is more about understanding the person you are talking with, and showcasing empathy towards your counterparts’ comments.

The key again really, is just listening before speaking. This is not negotiation 101 of ‘don’t put your cards down first’, this is truly understanding what your prospect client is trying to accomplish. What is their problem? Can you help them solve it? Do you have the tools to do so? How have you done this before?

In spearheading the business development for my marketing agency, there has been a consistent refinement of the way I explain what my company has to offer. Typically, I would sit down with a prospect, and ‘pitch’ them on how great we are, and what we can offer. How much does this really differ from other companies that offer the same thing? You want to create connection and dialogue through understanding and cohesion. This is better done by listening first, and curating a better response.

 

TAKEAWAYS AND LEARNINGS

Daniel Goleman, a science journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Emotional Intelligence, spoke at the Global Synergy Forum, which I attended in October 2017. The topic of empathy was mentioned several times throughout his dialogue.  

Goleman sees empathy in 3 different types: emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, and empathetic concern.  For example, when you listen attentively to understand the other person’s point of view, you are not answering with emotional empathy but cognitive empathy.  He has expressed in his speaking engagements and in many publications about the importance of empathy in relationships. Goleman is quoted saying that “empathetic people are superb at recognizing and meeting the needs of clients, customers, or subordinates. They seem approachable, wanting to hear what people have to say. They listen carefully, picking up on what people are truly concerned about, and respond on the mark.”

            –            –            –            –

Nothing is more exciting (for me at least) than participating in engaging conversation. Before diving in, and providing insight or my feelings, it will help to collect feedback and perspective. Understanding the viewpoints of those participating in any subject conversation, ultimately allows for a deeper, richer conversation. 

In each business pitch, through each relationship, and with every single engagement of human interaction, empathy plays a role.  Start with just being present in every conversation.  You’ll soon learn than empathy can help better enrich your life and is a concept that everyone can and should work on.

 

EXPLORING EMPATHY IN ORLANDO

As I was noticing “empathy” becoming an increasingly trending topic in my life, I had the privilege of engaging in a great conversation with Orlando’s Danya Shea. Shea has dedicated a lot of her work to the modeling and framework of empathy in the workplace. Having heard her speak at Creative Mornings back in September, it served to amplify the theme of “empathy” in my life. It became evident that not only was Shea very passionate about this topic, but she is a true thought leader.

 

Shea and her team at FervorWorks are producing “Empathy And...”, a talk series with forward-thinking founders and leaders. You can learn more about the events here.

To learn more about Shea, read my friend Dean Caravelis’s piece and interview on her.

For some more great empathy insight, read this article that discusses 6 habits of highly empathetic people.

 

During my empathy exploration, my I first saw this when my friend Monte Harry shared it on social media.
This passage paints a great picture on the topic.

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Carey Receives Entrepreneurial Alumni Award

March 12, 2018 Personal, University of Central Florida

Carey received UCF’s 2018 Entrepreneurial Alumni Award, and was honored at the 2018 UCF College of Business Hall of Fame event, which took place on February 20th, 2018.   This was the 19th annual Hall of Fame event, which had a theme titled ‘Knights on Ice’.  UCF President John C. Hitt was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  Inductees to the Hall of Fame included Sheila Jordan, Terry McNew, and Dawn Olivardia.  You can read a recap of the event here.

The UCF Today website featured a Press Release about the event and awardees back in November of 2017. 

 

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The Philly Special

February 11, 2018 Personal, Sports

2018.  The year of the bird.  The year that the championship-starved city of Philadelphia would parade the streets in pure joy as the beloved Eagles brought home the Lombardi Trophy.  The most unlikely season of them all for this to happen, is what made it the most exciting.
 
 
 
The season was injury ridden in a consistent pattern since it started.   Caleb Sturgis and Ronald Darby went down in week 1.  Darren Sproles went down in week 3.  Chris Maragos in week 6.  Starting Middle Linebacker Jordan Hicks, and Jason Peters, one of the best OL in league for the past 10 years, both went onto IR in week 7.  MVP candidate, Carson Wentz in week 14.   We expected to be good this season, but we didn’t expect to be great.
 
The injuries, a big mid-season acquisition, the underdog masks, FREE MEEK MILL, #AllWeGotAllWeNeed; the team has character.  Throughout the season, it was fun to get to learn more about the players’ personalities off the field through social media, and relate it to their playing style on the field.  The team had a very special family mentality and bond that was evident to those that followed the team closely.  See, when you don’t miss a single play of a single game of a team that you have been following for decades, and your from Philadelphia, that is where PASSION is found (or a Philadelphia sports fan).
 
 
 
February 4th 2018 was one of the best days of my life.  My brother Jesse turned 24 on this weekend, and we ventured to Minnesota for the Superbowl.  We managed to pull the trip off smoothly and even caught a great Dave Matthews Band show the night before.  We got to visit the Mall of America, explore a bit of the city (when it wasn’t snowing outside) and we scored some incredible tickets:
 
 
 
 
Not only was it the best game ever played (because the Eagles won the SUPERBOWL), but it was a truly entertaining Superbowl.  The gun-slinging duo of Brady and Foles contributed to the 1,151 total yards of offense, the most in Superbowl history.  While the combined final score didn’t break records, the game was close and exciting the entire time.  By far, the most unique moment was the ‘Philly Special’.  Watch the video in fast motion (and imagine the intensity of this game, on 4th down, a crazy play call).  Notice Nick Foles’ conversation with Doug Pederson.  It was so casual, so smooth, and so ******* awesome.
 
 
A T-shirt has already arrived at my front door, featuring nothing but the football play in X’s and O’s.  For those that are from Philadelphia, this will go down as the greatest play call in history.  The game came down to the wire, with Tom Brady poised for another one of his ‘legendary’ comebacks.  Enter GangGreen.  Brandon Graham 55, who has been a beast all season, strip sacked Brady to (practically) seal the deal.  What a way to beat the GOAT.  SIT DOWN BRADY!
 
 
And just in case this photo doesn’t show you enough, here are some other angles:
 

  

 
They accomplished the unthinkable.  A city so starving for a Superbowl victory got exactly what it deserved.  The fans are the most passionate in the world, and sharing that with my brother at the Superbowl, on sports’ biggest stage, was everything.  When asked what the best part of the weekend was, it is a simple answer:  Sharing the camaraderie with the most passionate fan base in the world.  There is truly nothing like it, and those not from Philly simply will not understand.
 
Most outsiders, do not think highly of our fanbase.  And that is fine.  But while commenting on the fans, this is a great time to address the 2/100 rule that is in effect.  Only 2 out of every 100 Philadelphians would participate in some of the things seen on national TV and social media; the rest are just loud.  And frankly, while some of the acts are quite troubling, I can’t say I didn’t laugh my ass off.  
 
 
I say it loudly and proudly: The Philadelphia Eagles and Superbowl Champions.  I cannot wait for next year, when the team will try to prove to the doubters that are still out there, just how great of a team we have.  It is even more exciting because most are sticking around.  
 
I leave you with the best speech in Philadelphia history, on February 8th of 2018 during the Superbowl Parade, which was given by the new forever mascot of the city, Jason Kelce:
 

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Carey Receives UCF’s 2017 Young Alumni Award

October 17, 2017 Boss Group, Personal, Three21, University of Central Florida

Carey received UCF’s 2017 Young Alumni Award, and was honored at the Shining Knights Award Ceremony which took place the Friday of UCF’s Homecoming Weekend.  

The UCF Alumni website featured an Alumni Spotlight titled ‘Noble Sobel‘, which talks on Carey’s story and accomplishments.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY.


Here are a few excerpts from the feature:


 

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 17, 2017) – UCF College of Business alumnus Carey Sobel ’09 has made it a priority to conduct himself and his businesses with integrity. It’s what he hopes he will always be remembered for.

Now a partner at both Three21 and Boss Group International, he has been growing his reputation as an entrepreneur in the Orlando community since he arrived on UCF’s campus in 2004. It’s his success in the business industry, along with his commitment to excellence, service and philanthropy, that garnered him the honor as UCF Alumni’s first recipient of the Young Alumni Award, which he received at a ceremony Oct. 13 at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.

If you take a look at his life away from the office and the community, the bigger picture comes into focus – there’s more to his story….

….CONTINUE READING THE FULL STORY HERE.

  

“Carey truly holds himself to a certain standard that he wants to meet each year – setting personal goals and devising a game plan to achieve them,” Lauren said. “If Carey assumes a role in life, be it business broker, marketing director, chief strategy officer, husband, son, and now father, he ensures that his whole heart goes into fulfilling that role. I truly believe it’s that quality that separates the dreamers from the doers, and Carey is a doer.”

 

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Carey Recognized in UCF’s 2017 30 Under 30 Class

October 11, 2017 Personal, University of Central Florida

UCF’s 2017 Class of 30 Under 30 post can be found here.

The University of Central Florida selects 30 individuals that are under the age of 30 to represent a ’30 Under 30′ class each year.  The 30 Under 30 awards program recognizes outstanding young alumni who continue to “Reach for the Stars” in their professional and personal lives. Young alumni currently make up one third of our alumni population, making them the largest constituent base. Each year, the UCF community gathers to celebrate the achievements of these individuals in the areas of professional success, community involvement and/or university engagement.

The 30 Under 30 Award 1) must be a graduate of the University of Central Florida (undergraduate or graduate degree), 2) Must be age 30 or under on the deadline, 3) Must have made an impact in one or more of the following areas: professional success, community involvement, and/or university engagement, 4) Must demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with UCF, 5) Must strive to uphold the tenets of the UCF Creed,  6) Must be willing to submit a professional headshot that can be published by UCF Alumni and other UCF entities, as deemed appropriate.

Mike Kilbride, the chair of the Young Alumni Council stated:

“This year’s 30 under 30 class is a bold group of young alumni who have made an impact from the early stages of their careers. Their commitment to their profession, community and UCF is inspiring. This group represents the best of the best from UCF’s accomplished young alumni base. As a fellow alumnus, it is inspiring to see so many of our graduates using their UCF experience to make an impact. The entire young alumni council is proud of the group of finalists, and on behalf of ucf, i extend my sincerest congratulations on this well-deserved accomplishment.” 

 

An excerpt from the 30 Under 30 Webpage:

Sobel has a proven track record of entrepreneurial success, co-founding seven companies in Central Florida. He currently serves as partner and chief strategy officer for Three21, a full-service digital marketing agency. Sobel has helped grow the company into a multi-million dollar, award winning agency. The firm employs many UCF alumni, and offers internships to UCF, Valencia, and Full Sail students. Carey is also a partner at Boss Group International, a business brokerage firm where he helps people buy and sell businesses. An avid UCF fan and supporter, Carey is a member the UCF College of Business Alumni Chapter, actively participates in speaking engagements for students, and also partakes in the mentorship program. Majored in management.

You can visit UCF’s Alumni ‘Exposure’ page that mentions and recognizes all of the 2017 30 Under 30 Class here.

 

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The Best Day of My Life, A Wedding Day Recap

February 1, 2017 Personal

Let’s call it the best weekend, because it was more than a day.  In fact, I can’t put a timetable on it; but it was certainly a time that I’ll never forget or take for granted.  Being surrounded by all of my close family and friends in the same room meant everything to me.  Marrying Lauren has been the biggest honor of my life, and while I always joke that I shouldn’t have had a big wedding, it just wouldn’t have been the same with everyone there to witness our marriage.

 

See, family is the most important item to both Lauren and I.  It is a shared value that Lauren and I prioritize individually, and as a couple.  We truly enjoy nothing more than spending time with our families, no matter what we are doing.

 

Our wedding was held at the Doctor Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, located in ‘City Beautiful’, Orlando Florida.  The center was built and finished in 2014-ish, and as it was being built, Lauren and I lived in a condo and home within a 2-minute walk to its site.  We felt that it was very fitting to choose a venue symbolic of our relationship’s inception (in Orlando), and one that no others have experienced before.  The uniqueness of the venue truly was exceptional, and I’m certain our guests felt the same way.  Our ceremony was held in a theater in the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater, with balcony seats and risen stage.  The cocktail hour was in the Kessler Tier, which is the 4th and 5th floor terraces of the Doctor Phillips Center.  The reception was held in the DeVos Family Room, which is an eye-catcher for those that drive-by the center.  When lit-up at night, it is a remarkable sight.

 

A big thank you goes out to Jeff Wojciechowicz and Ande Deaton (and of course the rest of the staff) from the Doctor Phillips Center.

 

The entertainment for our wedding was provided by both Sam Whitman, a former colleague and current friend of mine.  Sam was the Master of Ceremony and also provided the Disco Jockey services alongside of our live band, Frequency.  6 months before our wedding, tragedy struck the Orlando Community with the Pulse Nightclub shootings. Unfortunately, this awful day in our city’s history took the life of the lead singer of our band, Shane Tomlinson.  Shane was an incredible person, full of charisma, positivity, and energy.  Ultimately, it was Shane’s personality that led Lauren and I to book the Frequency band.   While we were unable to enjoy Shane’s presence, we felt we should continue with the talented group in honor of Shane as well.  They provided an incredible night, full of the same energy we expected.  They kept the dance floor moving all night, and was the highlight of the night; at least for me.

 

A very big thank you to Sam, who I knew I could trust to provide the MC services up to the expectation level I had (I have DJ’d weddings and events for 18 years).

 

The food for the cocktail hour and reception was provided by Arthur’s Catering.  Over the past 8 years working in the entertainment industry in Central Florida, I have worked alongside of Arthur’s countless times.  I built a relationship with Mark Leggett, the company’s owner, along the way.  Meeting with Mark through the process was very pleasant as he catered to our budget and requests for the culinary experience of our guests.  Aside from the food being delicious, the service was impeccable.  One of the moments I recall specifically from the wedding (they say it goes by so fast, that paying attention to detail is near impossible), was Mark and his team consistently being at Lauren and I’s beckoning call for anything we needed.  Not to the point where it was too much, but just enough.  Our guests complimented the food and service as well.

 

A very big thank you goes out to Mark and his team at Arthur’s Catering for going the extra mile for our big day.  Lauren and I felt overly comfortable with your team’s professionalism and guidance along the way.  Your product is unmatched, and we are very thankful.

 

Wedding Planning and Coordination services were provided by Julie Begani of Julbilation.  I’ve also had the pleasure of working with Julie for 7 years in the industry and built a friendship as well.  Julie and Jessica were spectacular, going out of their way to not only meet our requests but to help ease the burdens of the planning process.  Julie proactively suggested ways to enhance our experience, and we felt as if we had a third, fourth, and fifth set of eyes on our special day.  It was comforting knowing how much experience Julie had in the industry, but even more so that she knew Lauren and I personally.  Julbilation helped with so many aspects of the event aside from the day-of orchestration, such as (but not limited to) coordination with all vendors and scheduling, floral, linen, décor, favors, desserts, signage and menus, etc.

 

There is not enough words to thank Julie for what she did to help Lauren and I through this process.  From the second we hired Julie, until several weeks after our event, she was always at our call to help.  We truly appreciate all of the extra help.

 

Photography and Cinematography was provided by very good friends Scott and Elena of Scott Trippler Studios.  Scott and I have worked together for years, and he is one of the most talented individuals I have come across in his trade.  Aside from the skillset, the single item from the wedding that I did not worry about once was Photo and Video.  Having seen STS’s work over the years, their abilities were never doubted.  Nonetheless, Scott always promised wanting to go above and beyond because of our friendship, and boy did he deliver.  Even after the wedding Scott continues to offer unsolicited and gracious services to help capture moments in our lives.  Scott and Elena did our engagement photos as well as the Wedding.  It was an extra special treat to have Julio Aguilar on the staff for the day, a very talented college buddy of mine.

You can see the whole wedding album here (Password is ‘sobel’).

I have endless gratitude for you both Scott and Elena.  You honored all special requests, and then some; and truly went above what was expected.  Lauren and I will never forget what you did to help make our day special, and the pictures and videos allowed us to relive the best day of our lives.  We love you both!

Enjoy:

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Protected: A Terrible Experience with D Bailey Management

January 3, 2017 Personal

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A Truly Memorable Sale.

October 13, 2015 Boss Group, Business Brokerage, General Business, Personal, Sports

….and the best part was getting my autographed Brian Dawkins jersey.

As a student at the University of Central Florida, I often frequented Friendly Confines– a neighborhood sports bar in the Waterford Lakes Plaza / Outdoor Shopping Mall.  Their specials were outstanding, including the original ‘Nickel Beer Night’.  Friendly Confines was practically a monument for UCF Alumni, as was one of the original bars that didn’t fall into the category of typical ‘UCF College Bars’ with sticky floors, vomit in the trashcans, and the smell of rotten wood soaked in beer.  This was a class-act establishment that had a great reputation, and solid food.

In September of 2015, my partner Tony Blair and myself sold the business to a new group. We represented both sides of the transaction, and worked with the Washington Prime Group, a subsidiary of Simon Property Group, in one of the most challenging deals that I have worked on yet.  The deal was signed in April and closed 5 months later after numerous obstacles and curve balls, however the deal fared well for both sides.  Carmen Jordan, president of C. Jordan Enterprises (which owns all 4, now 3, locations of Friendly Confines) will continue his plan to expand the franchise into a large blueprint with new stores coming soon.  Jamie Feldman and Eric Isolica, partners in the Orlando Hospitality Partnership, the Buyers in this deal- will be bringing an upscale sports bar and social environment to the old Confines Space.   They are bringing a new concept called “The Social House”, and I’m excited to see what it evolves into.

It was an honor to represent both groups, in truly what was my most memorable sale in business brokerage to date.  I will keep this blog updated on developments on both sides.

 

As a side note, Carmen owns a sports memorabilia business, and as an expression of gratitude, he offered Tony and I a signed autograph jersey from our favorite athletes.  I obviously chose Brian Dawkins.

 

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