Like millions of other American teenagers in high school, Kelly Copeland wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do “when he grew up.” He was active in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), an organization dedicated to “…enhance the co-curricular education of students with interests in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.” Kelly is a native Tucsonan and planned to stay at home in the desert. His father had worked for Sears Roebuck & Co. for 42 years (Where the customer is always right!) and his uncle, Andrew Arena, was a successful custom home builder. So when Kelly started at the University of Arizona, he had several paths in mind. While in college, Kelly studied finance and real estate and was awarded a B.S. in both areas. To help pay expenses, he worked every summer for his uncle’s construction company. Each summer he spent toiling in different trades. One summer it was as a landscaper. Another summer he learned the framing trade. But those jobs were physically demanding, especially working outside in the scorching Arizona heat, so Kelly didn’t warm to the idea of making any of the trades a full-time career. During college, Kelly worked for Broadway department stores and considered pursuing a management career there. But somehow working in management for a department store just didn’t excite him. Upon leaving Broadway, he moved into real estate sales, which better complemented his college studies in finance and real estate, and which he found much more stimulating. More>