Draft:Jeff Swaney

Jeff Swaney is an American entrepreneur- advisor, consultant, collaborator, coach, concierge, networker, super dad, futurist, outdoorsman and friend. Licensed through the school of life and never-ending learning, he leverages his experience in entertainment, travel, finance, small business management, investments, family matters, spirituality and silliness. This breadth of knowledge, all in a simplified and conscious capitalism vein, is availed to high-net-worth clients, family offices and others thru both formal and informal engagement. Jeff is a Michigan native Proudly born in Detroit during the city’s final heydays of the late 50′ and early 60’s. He grew up in neighboring Royal Oak, is a Michigan State University Engineering Grad, Hewlett-Packard alum and World Traveler.

Career:

Upon completion of his education at MSU, he embarked on a yearlong world-wide solo backpacking journey focusing on cultural exchange, writing, photography, and the arts. That was his true education, as he bartered his way across the globe with a starting bank of $650 cash, a round-the-world ticket on a third-world airline and a Eurail pass. Upon returning penniless to the States, Jeff completed a three-year tenure in marketing for Hewlett-Packard Company in Dallas, Texas, marked with top producer awards. He opted to pass on an HP-sponsored Stanford MBA in favor of an entrepreneurial opportunity with Data Switch Corporation, a high-flying high-tech specialty switching equipment manufacturer. He witnessed the birth of the first crude PCs, the advent of LSI / VLSI chip development and Automated Network Management that changed the world in a tech explosion.

The Arts:

Jeff has been a supporter of myriad arts organizations and individuals. Immersed in the Deep Ellum’s artistic community, he has been an avid collector of local art spanning over 35 years. Many of the 42 artists who created Jeff’s collections 70 pieces are represented nationally across the country including friends Dan Rizzie, Andy Bennett, David McCullough, Bill Haveron, Steve Pietsch, Frank Campagna and Clay Austin. In 2002, Jeff purchased and renovated a second home in Bend, Oregon where he eventually moved. There, he helped launch the Bend Film Festival in 2004 as well as serving on the Tower Theatre board for a five year term. Much of his art collection is displayed at his home alongside his own work and his children’s.

Jeff is currently writing his first book, None of the Answers, penned in the vein of gonzo journalism. A blend of modern philosophy, entrepreneurial anecdotes, self-help and wry humor in a quasi-autobiographical stream of consciousness style, it’s a rambling account of navigating life’s roller-coaster ride of adventures experienced Outside the Box. Daring, cutting, and bare, this wild ride invites the reader’s participation and introspection.