After hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and hurricane Rita several weeks later in the Houston area, we decided we had to work our way to a place where we could get out of the city and start our own homestead in the country.  We wanted a few acres and the opportunity to become more self-sufficient.  While my career as a pilot in the Air Force and my time in the corporate world gave me a strong foundation, it was the starting of a gumball machine business that led to the starting of our franchise company, School Spirit Vending (SSV). Vending and SSV afforded us the freedom to move to the country and further pursue our dreams.