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I
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
was born on a cold snowy day in November 1971. My
birth turned out to be a premonition of the future,
since I was born on my actual due date and in the
middle of the day. Throughout my life, I have prided
myself on being on time and conscious of other people’s
time. Unfortunately, at the time of my birth, my mother
was forced out of high school because she was pregnant
so young. Without a high school diploma, she went on
to have four more children (all girls). Yes, I have four
sisters and no brothers. Throughout the 1970s, my family
experienced layoffs in the steel industry and also unheard-
of domestic violence that no one should have to suffer.
During my teen years, I turned to my academics and
sports as my outlet to escape the violence. Wrestling and
football were the first opportunities that allowed me to
excel at something. My passion for sports and the lessons
learned in sports matured throughout this time. Football
taught me how to work as a team to achieve a goal, and
wrestling taught me how to achieve great things as an
individual.
One of the things I loved most about wrestling was that
it is a great sport that shows that you get directly out of
it what you put into it. I was able to achieve great success
as a WPIAL champion wrestler, with a 15-1 record in high
school and finishing as the 5th rank wrestler in the state.
My foundation in sports is just one of the reasons why
I believe in meritocratic ideals—the ideals that people
prog ress based on their abilities, talents and own effort.
Throughout my life, I have focused on my family. Having
four sisters, a single mother and a grandmother taught me
great respect for women.
My mother started out raising our family in public
housing and on welfare while getting her GED, working
her way through undergraduate school at the University
of Pittsburgh and finally achieving great success by
graduating from Law School. By far, my mother is the
greatest influence on my life. In order to help her, my four
sisters and I had to pick up the slack, helping each other to
allow our mother time to study and get through school.
I fondly remember waiting up until my mother got
home late at night and getting to discuss the day’s events.
Through these conversations, she taught me that hard
work, dedication to self-improvement, focus on education
and passion for life were the keys to success.
SPONSORED CONTENT
The Choice
is Clear
James Roman, MBA, MA
Office: 412-946-4002 x124
Cell: 724-931-1803
[email protected]
PETERS TOWNSHIP
❘
APRIL/MAY 2018
55