Here's to a Leader Who Leads with His Heart

On our very first date, my husband Arron (our founder and CEO) said to me: “the most important thing is to be life-positive.” And in that perfect little wrinkle of existence, over matching bowls of bouillabaisse and all sorts of giddy anticipation, I knew that he would one day be my baby daddy. But what I didn’t know then was just how diverse and dynamic this multifaceted mariner would prove to be. 

So, in honor of his birthday week, I’ve decided to share a list of fun facts about the one and only Arron Kallenberg, the guy who puts the “grit” in the word “integrity” — my mentor, my man and my muse. Here goes:

1. His grandpa Robert C. Kallenberg moved from New Jersey to Alaska in 1926 and began commercial fishing in Bristol Bay on a wooden sailboat. This pioneered the family’s sea-loving destiny, and his grandpa would subsequently write his master’s thesis entitled, “A Study of the Red Salmon of Bristol Bay with Particular Reference to Teaching its Conservation,” at Cornell and later serve on Alaska’s fisheries board. 
2. Arron’s dad Walt designed and built their family’s second commercial fishing boat, the Mary K, named after Arron’s aunt.
3. As a boy growing up in Homer, Alaska, used to run with the whales along the coast of Kachemak Bay.
4. He grew up in a cabin on the ocean without running water.
5. His middle name is Andersen.
6. Arron caught his first fish at the age of two.
7. As a kid, he built forts in Homer that still stand today.
8. His childhood dogs were named Trucky, Rambles and Sitka.
9. As a teenager, he used to take his laptop out to sea and get on the Internet using a dial-up modem.
10. Arron taught himself how to code software.
11. He does some of his deepest thinking when he's putting on his socks.
12. He studied cultural anthropology in college.
13. He used to be a competitive fencer and qualified for Junior nationals in high school but wasn’t able to travel to compete because it was in the middle of the sockeye salmon season.
14. He was part of the first ever class of Techstars.
15. Arron is very much into close-up magic and sleight of hand.
16. He can play a mean blues scale on the piano.
17. He's a devout pesecatarian.
18. He's obsessed (and quite masterful) with puns.
19. Arron listens to books on tape at two (sometimes three!) times the normal speed.
20. He takes a long reflective walk every morning, which is when he listens to books on tape.
21. He is fascinated with a Mongolian throat-singing rock band, and listens to this song when he works out.
22. His favorite homemade meal is my Caribbean Fish Stew with coconut rice.
23. Arron performed a hip-hop choreography with me on the night of our wedding, for which we rehearsed (at my strict insistence) a whole three months in advance.
24. He’s got long hair down to his waist.
25. His favorite quote is "Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire. Likewise with randomness, uncertainty, chaos: you want to use them, not hide from them. You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.”  - Nassim Taleb

So, here’s to a very happy birthday to the guy who makes me happiest!

Pictured above: Arron in Homer, his happy place, beaming with life-positivity, as he does each and every day.