The Soldier, The Dad, The Business Man AMPS – Where were you born and raised? Eric- Columbia, Louisiana, a small town outside of Monroe, Louisiana. AMPS -What was your childhood like growing up in a small town? Eric- Growing up in a small town definitely has its advantages/disadvantages. It was a close-knit community. Everybody knew your name and your family. I’m the youngest of four, so if I ever got into trouble, there was always somebody around who would call one of my siblings or my parents. AMPS – Did you play any sports in school? Eric- Yes, I was pretty athletic growing up; I played baseball, football, basketball, and I ran track. AMPS – What did you do after you graduated high school? Eric- Directly after high school, I joined the United States Marine Corps. It was two weeks after graduation (smiling). AMPS – Wow, so you were you just ready to get out into the word? Eric- I was just ready to get out of Columbia! Small town and I had watched too many episodes of ‘Soul Train’ (laughing). AMPS – Can you tell us a little bit about your experience and why did you choose the Marine Corps? Eric- It was a great experience. It opened up my eyes to diversity. I grew up in a somewhat segregated town, so it was refreshing to have relationships and meet people that were from places like Idaho, California, Georgia, just everywhere across the map. I traveled all over the world; Spain, Dubai, Kuwait. It afforded me the opportunity to do a lot of exciting things. The Marine Corps was a challenge for me, and I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. AMPS – How long did you serve? Eric- I served four years. AMPS – Why only four years and not make a career out of it? Eric- Well, I realized that the pick-up-and-go lifestyle is not for me. I mean I was picking up and going every three or four months. It was a rude awakening for me- traveling when you have that type of job you have to be ready to just pick up and go wherever they send you, and I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do that, so I just decided to get out. AMPS – Are you not a traveling man or you just didn’t like to move around a lot? Eric- I didn’t like the moving around. I wanted to have a home base, a home port, and in the Marine Corps you never really had a home port. Your home port was wherever they wanted you to go. AMPS – After you got out of the Marine Corps, where did you go and what did you end up doing? Eric – Actually, I moved back to Louisiana for about six months, and then I moved to Seattle, Washington; I was there for two years and became interested in fashion. AMPS – How do you keep yourself in such good shape? Eric – I work out two or three times a week and try to make healthy food choices. AMPS – Do you work out to make yourself look good or for your health? Eric – Well, it’s a little bit of both. I’m so used to being in shape and I’m trying to keep that going, plus I have two daughters and their boyfriends are sometimes a little bigger than me so, I just want them to understand that if there is a situation that arises, that I will handle it. (Both of us laughing) AMPS – So you have moved back to Texas. What part of Texas do you live in? Eric – I live in Allen, Texas; some consider it the North Dallas area. AMPS – What do you do now as far as your career goes? Eric – I work in business development, merchant services. AMPS – Do you model or have you done any modeling? Eric- I did some modeling when I lived in Seattle and I’ve done a little bit here and there in Texas over the years at the Art Institute of Dallas and for product launches. AMPS – Has any modeling you’ve done been in a commercial? Eric – No, not video commercials, just some print ads from back in the day. Amps- So, Eric tell our readers why didn’t you stay with the modeling? Eric- Well, modeling is great and I like modeling, but once again, it’s a pick up and move situation. You have to go wherever it’s hot. Wherever people want you to be, you have to be. I wanted to settle down and focus on one place. I guess it’s the small town in me. Amps- Do you have any other projects going on right now? Eric- Absolutely! I’m always in fashion. I’ve done some personal styling. I’ve also been working on a fashion blog. Stay tuned for that. AMPS – Will that be here in the DFW metroplex? Eric- Yes it will. I just want to thank AMPS Magazine for allowing me to be a part of their movement.