"If you focus too much on the competition, it takes away from what you’re trying to accomplish"
What: Following an initial career at Arthur Anderson, Shmuel has been consulting and engineering data networking and telecommunications solutions for businesses and high-end home offices for almost 20 years. He provides VIP services to businesses, schools, and home offices in both the US and Israel.
Where: Shmuel grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and moved to California after high school to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver. After attending Chaffey College (the only US college at that time that provided a direct educational track for a career in motorsports), he worked at Drivetech Racing School in San Bernardino, California, first as an intern and then as a full-time race mechanic. He then moved back to New Jersey to study at Rutgers University. While in college he took an elective class called “Modern Trends in Judaism,” taught by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sherman (now a dean at Touro College), which brought him closer to Yiddishkeit. During those years, he also realized that professional race car driving wasn’t compatible with the life he wanted to live. He left the States to study at Ohr Somayach in Israel, where he also met his future wife. They got married in 2001 and lived in Passaic, New Jersey, for seven years before making aliyah. He now lives with his wife and children in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Why: Well, how many people do you know who trained to be a professional race car driver? More importantly, Shmuel embodies noble character traits that inspire me: First, he’s one of the friendliest people I know; everyone in his orbit feels seen, heard, and valued. Second, notwithstanding his demanding work schedule, he’s very involved with chesed and Torah learning opportunities, from raising money for local organizations to his commitment to Daf Yomi. Third, while he’s had his ups and downs in business, which he shares in this interview, he maintains unwavering bitachon in Hashem.
I once aspired to be a professional race car driver. My dad planted the seed. I was eight years old when he took me to my first race at Flemington Fair Speedway in New Jersey. And by 18, I was ready to join the starting lineup. But without money or connections, I was stuck. So I headed off to California to obtain a degree in race car technology.
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