Meet the Aspire Team

Fred grew up in the family business in Ridgecrest, California – working after school and on weekends. After high school, Fred attended a trades-technical institute and returned home to take over the business. It did not take him long to realize there was much more to running a business than producing an excellent product for the customer's benefit alone. Working that long and hard only to struggle and break even or lose money was not acceptable to him.

He started a journey looking for answers by researching, reading, and training on business operations. That led him to Ken Brookings, Founder and Chairman of The Aspire Institute.

Fred attended one of Ken's Small Business Owner Classes a couple of decades back and immediately recognized that Ken's systems and processes were exactly what he had been seeking. He received the answers to questions such as: "Why is business so difficult? Why am I killing myself just to scrape by? and "Where is the logical path?"

Fred signed up for Ken's Coaching Program and turned his family business around for good. In less than two years, he took the company from a -4% annual loss to more than 27% annual net profit. It was life-changing. And what started as a search for better business practices led to a deeper search for self-improvement and sharing his knowledge to help other small businesses.

Fred became Ken's business partner, then successor, and took the lead in furthering the mission of improving the lives of small business owners and achieving next-level profitability that truly reflects their value and worth.

Now, after over 18 years, Fred has imparted wisdom and proven business methods to thousands of business owners, with a laser focus on residential general contractors (GCs). Together with the Aspire Coaches, GCs learn how to fully take control of their bottom lines and achieve better work-life balance at the same time.

Fred found his true calling – helping others. Aspire is driven to reach and change the lives of as many remodelers and home builders as possible. "Our focus is genuinely to help our clients improve both their business and personal lives," says Fred. "While we're not perfect, you won't find another partner who cares as much or works as tirelessly to ensure general contractors have everything that they need to be successful."

Be better than yesterday is Fred's mantra, and he instills this belief into every member of his family, business, and Aspire customers. Aspire is truly a purpose-driven company. The daily drive to improve the lives of GCs and other high-value, labor-intensive service businesses motivates Fred and the people around him.

Outside work, Fred loves spending time with his wife Courtney, four grown children, and grandchildren. Travel, Golf, and flying his private plane top the list. More new adventures await as he and Courtney relocated to Sandpoint, Idaho, full-time from California in early 2020 to take Aspire and its amazing clients to the next level!

Anthony is the son of small business owners, making him no stranger to the stress and burden of running a business. Known for his addiction to winning and his drive to succeed, Anthony competed in high school sports as a young athlete. Growing up in Sandpoint, Idaho, his passion and skill in sports led him to a collegiate football career in California.

After graduating from California State University – Sacramento, he worked in the fitness industry, including 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch Fitness, and Les Mills. For 14 years, he developed and delivered impactful training programs, successful sales processes, and personal coaching for small business owners in the San Francisco Bay Area.

His fitness career culminated in overseeing a corporate division for Les Mills covering California, Utah, and Nevada.

Missing small-town Sandpoint and the outdoor lifestyle, Anthony moved back to join The Aspire Institute. He started in sales management, business development, employee engagement, and operations in 2018. His tenacious desire for winning drove him to help the Aspire team and general contractor clients alike to become the absolute best version of themselves achievable. The same drive and dedication for helping others propelled him through the ranks, and he became Aspire Vice President in less than two years.

He works directly with CEO and President Fred Farris to drive Aspire strategies in two main areas: new GC client acquisition and active client coaching. He contributes his leadership, clarity of vision, and winning attitude to every Aspire department – from marketing and business operations, to finance and work culture. It is common for Anthony to jump from a marketing strategy session to a general contractor coaching call.

Anthony’s drive for customer success is fueled by GC stories and life-changing testimonials, including “First vacation in 10 years”; “Finally getting to coach my son’s soccer team,”; and “Buying our first home” due to changing business models and mindsets that lead to next-level profitability and a higher quality of life.

Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his wife Kayley, daughter Madison, and their family dog Tay Tay – an American Bully. Anthony remains true to fitness and health by maintaining a rigorous workout regimen, weightlifting, and golfing, with a love of cooking, good bourbons, and cigars!

Rory is a builder, athlete, coach, and teacher. The son of a highly skilled mason, he was remarkably familiar with construction sites by the time he was eight years old. Throughout his childhood, Rory continued to accompany his father and help on job sites, laying the foundation for his now broad building industry experience.

From an early age, Rory showed an extraordinary drive to succeed. As a young athlete, he was highly competitive in high school sports. His success on the gridiron led to a collegiate football career at the University of Idaho. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education and university endorsements in Business and Exercise Science.

While working through college, Rory gained deeper trade experience while working on new ground-up residential and commercial construction crews. Upon graduation, Rory and his wife Sheila owned and operated a successful house-flipping business. They completed multiple whole-house remodels and oversaw all aspects of construction and business operations.

Later, Rory took a position as Production Manager with ARI Roofing in Coeur d’Alene where he managed several labor crews across Idaho. With ARI, he gained valuable experience in management, sales process development, implementation, and long-term client relationships. He was then promoted to Vice President of ARI to oversee day-to-day operations, including budget management, job estimates, materials procurement, and sub-scheduling and inspections. Rory also coached high school football, a position he held for eight years, culminating in his team winning a state championship in the Idaho 5A classification.

In 2018, Norcraft Cabinetry – a division of the MasterBrand Cabinetry family – recruited and relocated Rory to Michigan. He managed sales and customer relations for large building contractors in Grand Rapids and Lansing. A couple of years later, Rory jumped at the chance to join The Aspire Institute’s business coaching team with a roster of residential GCs, and so moved back to Idaho.

Aspire is fortunate to have Rory’s unstoppable energy and winning attitude to support our GC clients through business transformations. His passion for helping custom home builders and home remodelers reach their full business and personal potential drives him and GCs to the next level of prosperity.

Rory loves the outdoors, fitness, and family life with Sheila and their three young children, Zade, Remi, and Reiss. He soaks up all that life has to offer. The Aspire team and customers alike love his infectious enthusiasm for quality and excellence in business coaching and in the education classes he delivers!

Originally from Manhattan, New York, Jake got his first taste of the construction business in high school when he took his first job taping and texturing drywall.

He has remained in construction ever since, becoming involved in many distinct aspects of the business, including sales, management, marketing, estimating, production, project management, and administration.

Jake offers an uncanny knack and quiet passion for systems and processes that streamline field and business operations while increasing general contractor (GC) profitability.

From an early age, Jake demonstrated an intrinsic leadership ability, fostering consensus among his peers and team to produce results at an exceptionally high level. By age 22, Jake was responsible for managing over fifty employees. He has recruited, hired, trained, and managed hundreds of staff throughout his career to date.

Before joining Aspire, Jake spent a decade helping GCs to grow their businesses in the greater Sacramento, California area. He generated leads, sold jobs, managed projects, taped, textured, and everything in between. Because of their partnerships with Jake, these contractors all experienced tremendous growth and success as a result of his impeccable business acumen, and laser focus on business models, systems, and processes that make the most sense for each individual GC

In his last leadership position before Aspire, Jake produced a whopping 500% in profitable margin increase in annual sales over five years.

It only makes sense that Aspire would recruit Jake from Sacramento with those outstanding results! So, in 2020, Jake packed up his wife and three children (now four!) and made the journey north to Sandpoint, Idaho, when he officially joined Aspire as a Business Coach for Contractors.

He now applies Aspire’s proven business methods around real-time coaching, classes, and Aspire Intelligence (AI) – our unique and personalized business intelligence system for customers – to track progress towards their profit margin goals.

That, along with his no-nonsense demeanor, practical construction knowledge, and field experience, make a world of difference in the lives of his GC business owners. He effectively applies proven business principles with the ground truth of construction life as a highly valued member of the Aspire coaching team.

He loves the North Idaho lifestyle and spends his free time with his family enjoying the outdoors.

Jim has the perfect combination of business coaching, hands-on general contracting, and a strong sports education to thrive as a Business Coach. He genuinely enjoys improving the lives of others and felt Aspire was a great fit when he joined the coaching ranks because “the company lives up to his promises and practices what it preaches in truly caring for GC clients and its own employees.”

Jim grew up in Missoula, Montana, where he loved playing all sports – particularly football and baseball. He pursued a college baseball career, playing at universities in Washington State and California. There, he developed a true belief in teamwork and always doing one’s best for team success.

When his baseball career ended, Jim cut his teeth in the construction industry as a laborer for a custom homes builder and then a large HVAC company in Moscow, Idaho. Upon graduating from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management and a Sports business minor, Jim joined the Department of Army in the Morale Welfare and Recreation division. He spent 13 years traveling across the U.S. creating more efficient, profitable, and sustainable army departments through better processes in budgeting, variance reports, standard operating procedures, employee recruitment, and career/skills development still used today.

In 2006, Jim moved back to the Pacific Northwest as a Project Manager for a large home restoration and remodeling business. He managed over 150 projects and an eight-person crew while building trade partner and subcontractor relationships. After moving to estimating and sales, he grew the remodeling business with a 20 percent lift in gross profit. The company promoted him to general manager to open a new division in Spokane, Washington. Once he fully established; made profitable; and hired, trained, and developed all the people, processes, and procedures – including his successor – Jim made his way to Aspire.

His knowledge of business construction field experience, dedication, and driven leadership attracted him to Aspire. “I have seen many hardworking individuals in the construction arena struggle to balance their trade with their business. I want to make their lives easier and see them rewarded for all of their demanding work.” His goal is to grow and maximize profits for his clients.

Jim spends time in Spokane and Sandpoint, enjoying the North Idaho lifestyle with golf, boating, and hiking adventure treks. He enjoys camping with his family and fishing the great lakes of the Pacific Northwest. He has coached men’s youth baseball for the last 18 years, driven equally to hone their baseball skills and further develop their characters alike.

He is passionate about family and spends his free time hanging out with his wife, Koryn, five children, and a great many friends!

Having lived across two countries and called more than ten cities home, Jason Kowalski has developed a unique perspective on adapting to new challenges and finding innovative solutions. This adaptability and broad perspective have become cornerstone strengths in his approach to business and life.

Throughout his career, Jason has focused on helping business owners overcome their operational challenges through smart technology solutions and improved business practices. His experience spans across various industries, working closely with senior management and business owners to transform their companies. Jason worked directly with General Contractors, where he gained hands-on experience with residential remodels and ADU projects. This experience gave him direct insight into the daily challenges and opportunities within the construction industry.

Now, as a Business Coach at Aspire, Jason combines his technology expertise and construction industry knowledge to support General Contractors in their business growth. He puts his skills to work by teaching contractors valuable business skills, creating strategies for steady business growth, and setting up processes that help their companies run smoothly. His mix of practical construction experience and technology expertise makes him particularly effective at helping contractors modernize their businesses while maintaining profitability.

Jason was drawn to Aspire by the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the residential remodeling industry. He believes that by teaching contractors strong business practices, he can help them build more successful companies while delivering better results for their customers. His ability to understand both the technical and practical aspects of running a construction business makes him an ideal coach for General Contractors.

When he's not helping contractors improve their businesses, Jason embraces his love for outdoor adventures through activities like hiking and ice climbing. He also prioritizes spending quality time with family and friends, demonstrating firsthand the work-life balance that he helps his clients achieve.

Rory joined the Aspire team out of a desire to help contractors achieve their full potential. With the experience he has gained through his military career and the time spent in construction management, Rory has the expertise to teach and coach clients to reach their full potential.

Rory grew up in a small town in northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, where he played soccer and wrestled throughout high school. In playing sports, Rory learned the importance of hard work, dedication, and discipline. During the summer months, Rory spent his time backpacking through the Tahoe National Forest and working on his family’s cattle ranch.

Rory’s first construction experience was at 20 years old, working for a small general contractor as a laborer doing everything from digging ditches to laying conduit for miles on rural roads. He later moved on to another small local GC to work as a laborer, equipment operator, and dump truck driver. At 22, Rory joined the United States Army as a heavy equipment operator. While in the Army, Rory deployed twice, once to Iraq for 15 months and once to Afghanistan for 9 months. Rory separated from military service with an honorable discharge after 6 years at the rank of Sergeant. During his time in the military, he learned the value of leadership, accountability, and teamwork. Rory led multiple teams and projects throughout his time in the Army and was directly responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment and 11 soldiers with zero losses.

After Rory’s time in the Army, he decided to attend college to advance his career in the construction field. He attended Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, WA, where he graduated with a degree in Construction management. After graduating, Rory completed an internship with a commercial electrical contractor in Seattle. Upon completing his internship, he was immediately offered a Project Engineer (PE) position. He then worked as a PE for 2 years and ran his own projects before being promoted to Project Manager (PM). As a Project Manager, he attended Purdue University for an intense construction management certification course. As a PM, Rory managed anywhere from 6 to as many as 24 projects actively running at one time with an average gross profit throughout all projects managed of 30%, while the company had an average was 22%.

Rory and his wife, Chelsey love to travel and spend time outdoors. They took an 8,000-mile road trip through the western United States and enjoyed sightseeing and hiking in some of our beautiful national parks. Rory and his wife moved from the Seattle area to build their forever home in Cocolalla, Idaho. In his downtime, Rory spends his free time woodworking, gardening, hiking, and spending quality time with his wife.

Elizabeth grew up in Southern California and spent most of her career in intense high-tech customer-facing roles for Sprint and Best Buy. Among her many strengths are customer service, data analytics and program management – making her an excellent addition to Aspire’s Coaching Team.

Elizabeth has a couple decades of strong administrative and operational experience in the retail tech sector. She spent a few years with Best Buy where she ran retail point-of-sale, daily sales, and payroll reports. With an eye for computer-driven data automation and data, she quickly moved up the ranks to an Operations Supervisor. She led departmental training, scheduling and resolved customer inquiries including credit applications, merchandise returns and exchanges.

Within a couple of years, she built on her passion for front-line customer experience, and joined Sprint in their Corporate Retail function – meaning phones, connectivity, and accessories for business customers. She ensured all local stores met Sprint’s corporate branding and customer excellence standards. She learned the value of enterprise-wide scale with ready-made templates and tracking systems to ensure the success of teams nationwide. She developed strong product knowledge, then moved fully into Sales support training Sprint employees and business customers alike on account activations and billing processes.

In the last phase of her Sprint career, she moved to an Executive Administration role supporting the Western Region and Northwest Sales specifically, she further developed her data analytics and reporting expertise to ensure Sprint executives received clear and simplified views on the state of the business – both externally and internally. Those insights everything from travel, expense and fleet car management to social media escalation and corrective actions.

In a few words, Elizabeth is tech-savvy, data-driven and customer-obsessed. She is very fluent and a true lifelong learner when it comes to new business intelligence, databases, software programs and marketing platforms to become more impactful and efficient. During her 17 years at Sprint, she also pursued and completed an Associate Degree in Business Administration from American Intercontinental University,

She moved to Idaho in 2017 working remotely for Sprint, then was hired by Idaho’s Bonner County Planning Division.

Aspire welcomed Elizabeth to the team in 2021 where she worked directly with our Business Development and Marketing team. Now, in her new Aspire Program and Coaching support role, General Contractors will benefit from her amazing Microsoft Excel and other technology skills (which she loves). She will be hands-on with your overall Aspire Experience including customized Aspire Intelligence (AI) Dashboard set up, Cloud-based tools and templates, Class schedules and registration. She is one of the first people you will meet in joining the Aspire Business Mastery Program, as she manages personal coaching schedules across new, existing, and graduate Home Remodelers and Custom Builders.

A mother of two young adults – a son and a daughter – Elizabeth is always on the go. She loves the outdoors, gardening, and all kinds of animals. It’s a good thing she lives in rural Sagle with a lot of outdoor space and big views!

Corrie is the main line of contact for all Accounts Payable, Receivable, Client Invoicing and Payment Processing, Company Budgeting and Projections, Human Resources, and Payroll. She has been with Aspire for 7 and loves that we help many small business contractors with their businesses. Her favorite part of working for Aspire is meeting our clients face to face at client classes. Hearing how we have helped them achieve new goals and have better lives is very rewarding.

Corrie is originally from Elk Grove, California, and was raised on an Angus cattle farm. She grew up Barrel Racing in Rodeos all over California. Her father was a Doctor running a private practice, and Corrie was his Office Manager for 15 years. The family Business was a wonderful place to work and help others; it was also where she learned bookkeeping, office management as well as budgeting for small businesses. Corrie moved to North Idaho with her husband and son in 2003 and now has her own ranch with horses, dogs (2 Lab puppies, a full-time job!), and cats. Corrie loves horseback riding in the beautiful northern Idaho mountains, hiking, skiing, boating – just about anything outdoors with her family!

Courtney came to Aspire with over 20 years of Marketing and Management experience. She spent 10 years as a Marketing Coordinator at Colliers International in Southern California. Courtney also worked as a Data Management Specialist for the Department of the Navy. She was directly responsible for quality control, production, and distribution of metrics for formal inspections to the Engineering department heads using custom-built Atlassian software configurations. 

Courtney has an innovative spirit and a unique ability to learn software quickly. This has helped her become proficient with the Adobe Creative Suite, Database Management, Quickbase, and Atlassian software. She also has advanced knowledge of most Microsoft Office products. 

Courtney has supported Aspire in multiple capacities over the last few years, recently relocating from Southern California to Sandpoint, ID, with her husband Fred Farris and joining Aspire full-time. Courtney’s favorite thing to do is Facetime with her family and friends. Being miles apart does not stop her from being active in the lives of family and friends spread all over the country. Whenever possible, she takes time to adventure with her husband, Fred, or visits her family and friends in person.

Sierra assists with day-to-day office operations, including organizing company meetings, supporting senior leadership’s needs, and taking on several projects of her own. She also coordinates and executes the details of the one-day Aspire workshops and Client Classes here in Sandpoint. Sierra learned day-to-day office operations while helping her father run their family-owned Insurance Agency.

Sierra and her husband Carter recently relocated to the Sandpoint area from their hometown of nearby Spokane, WA. They enjoy the outdoors, spending summers on the local lakes and winters snowmobiling. Sierra has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Eastern Washington University.

Ashley Pulido provides crucial support to CEO Fred Farris and VP Anthony Rodriguez. Her role is pivotal in ensuring smooth day-to-day office functions and empowering the team with the resources they need for success.

Hailing from a small farming town in southern Idaho, Ashley's background is rich with diverse experiences. Her early years were spent assisting her father with field irrigation, instilling in her a strong work ethic from a young age. Summers were dedicated to her family's electronic sign business, where she cultivated her skills in signage, production, and project management.

Ashley's professional journey began with earning her AA degree from Boise State University. She then embarked on a successful 10-year career in banking, further developing her financial acumen and customer service skills.

Drawn to The Aspire Institute for its exemplary workplace culture and commitment to fostering business success, Ashley brings a unique blend of rural work ethic, practical business experience, and professional expertise to her role.

Outside of work, Ashley cherishes time spent outdoors with her husband and two daughters. On pleasant Idaho summer days, you might find the family at their favorite lake spot, swimming and hunting for interesting treasures.

Zack, a dedicated professional, thrives within collaborative environments characterized by a shared commitment to achieving excellence. Zack feels fortunate to be a valuable contributor to the Business Development team at The Aspire Institute. In this role, his primary focus is on empowering residential general contractors to enhance both their business operations and overall quality of life.

Hailing from West Michigan, Zack's zest for adventure and an affinity for the outdoors have been instrumental in shaping his personal and professional journey. He spent four years in the scenic landscapes of West Wyoming, where he served as a fly fishing guide.

In the early months of 2023, Zack and his wife relocated to Sandpoint, Idaho, a move symbolic of their shared passion for mountainous terrains and aquatic landscapes. Beyond fly-fishing, Zack's adventurous spirit extends to a diverse array of outdoor pursuits, including hunting, rafting, surfing, snowboarding, backcountry snowmobiling, and hiking, with their two dogs.

Darrel is responsible for outreach to General Contractors to share with them the benefits of attending our one-day workshops in their local area so they can reap the benefits of working with ASPIRE. Darrel studied Architecture but went into sales at an early age. He studied Vineyard Development and Wine Making later in Life.

Darrel was raised in Southern California. He and his wife Carol moved to North Idaho to enjoy all North Idaho has to offer, Fun, Family, Faith, and All Things Outdoor. He loves boating, sailing, camping, fishing, and hiking.

Darrel joined Aspire to help Aspire make a difference in General Contractors' lives. Darrel believes in changing lives for the better, one contractor at a time.

Kevan, a passionate advocate for general contractors, thrives on helping businesses achieve their full potential. With nearly 30 years of experience in sales, customer education, and business development, Kevan has a proven track record of client growth across various industries, including construction.

Leveraging his global perspective gained from living and working in the UK, Middle East, and Australia, Kevan brings a wealth of experience to the table. His degree in Management and Master’s in Natural Sciences reflect his well-rounded skillset.

When not guiding general contractors toward success, Kevan enjoys exploring the beauty of North Idaho with his wife and kids. Fishing, skiing, hiking, and kayaking are just a few of the activities they enjoy in their free time.

Drawn to Aspire's dedication to client success, Kevan is eager to partner with general contractors and help them achieve their dreams.

Miranda joined the Aspire team in May of 2022 as part of the New Business Development team. Miranda's goal is to always serve others and be a joy to those around her. The Aspire team definitely enjoys having her around! Her family moved to Sandpoint when she was seven. She has always loved living in the country and does not plan to go anywhere else. However, she has done a fair amount of traveling. Studying French in college took her overseas to France and Africa, where she had the chance to explore new cultures, food, and languages. Her travels are a large part of who she is and has shaped how she sees the world today.

Miranda is usually outside when not working, hanging with her pets, friends, and family. You might find her with a paintbrush or pencil when she is feeling creative on some particularly inspiring days.

Caylor Bax's journey has taken him and his wife across every corner of the United States, with enriching experiences living abroad in both Europe and the UK. Their dream of raising a family in a mountain town ultimately led them to find their perfect community in Sandpoint, Idaho, where they now live with their two young children.

A graduate of the University of Montana's School of Business Administration, Caylor has built his career around helping business owners succeed. For the past 15 years, he has dedicated himself to serving clients by developing tailored solutions that accelerate revenue growth, optimize cost savings, and minimize operational risks.

At The Aspire Institute, Caylor guides custom home builders and remodelers through their first steps toward greater profitability and financial stability. His role perfectly aligns with his long-standing commitment to helping business owners thrive and level up while achieving better work-life balance.

When not supporting his clients, Caylor embraces the alpine lifestyle through skiing at the local resort, backcountry touring, and hiking to alpine lakes for weekend camping trips. He's an avid traveler with an endless appetite for experiencing new cultures and cuisines. Above all, Caylor prioritizes supporting his wife's dreams and creating the best possible childhood for his kids – reflecting the same work-life balance principles he helps his clients achieve.

Born in Pennsylvania and with family roots on the East Coast, Emma discovered her true connection to North Idaho early in life. After her early childhood in San Diego, where summer visits to Sandpoint became cherished family traditions, Emma and her family permanently relocated to the area when she was nine years old. Since then, Sandpoint has been the place she proudly calls home, with its stunning landscapes and abundant outdoor recreational opportunities.

Emma's connection to the construction industry began at a young age. Growing up as the daughter of a General Contractor, she spent countless hours after school and during summers helping her father's business—running errands, cleaning job sites, and learning the ins and outs of construction projects firsthand. This early exposure gave her a unique perspective and appreciation for the challenges faced by custom builders and remodelers.

Her professional journey continued through diverse roles in sales, customer service, logistics, and production management, complemented by her academic pursuits in general studies and Wildlife Biology at colleges in Boise, Coeur d'Alene, and Missoula. These varied experiences honed Emma's ability to understand complex problems, coordinate solutions, and build meaningful relationships with clients—skills that now prove invaluable in her role at The Aspire Institute.

At Aspire, Emma helps custom home builders and remodelers take their first steps toward greater profitability and financial stability. Her personal connection to the industry runs even deeper now, as her partner is also a General Contractor. This dual perspective—from both childhood memories and her current relationship—gives Emma a profound understanding of the challenges faced by construction business owners and fuels her passion for helping them improve their businesses and livelihoods.

Outside of work, Emma embraces the outdoor lifestyle that North Idaho offers. She enjoys walk-and-wade fly fishing, while her partner prefers the traditional boat approach. Together, they spend time hunting upland birds with their two black Labradors, exploring hiking trails, and camping in the region's beautiful wilderness. Emma also finds joy in gardening, cooking, and various creative art projects that allow her to express her appreciation for the natural world that surrounds her.