Catalyst for Thought is a local nonprofit organization with a goal to advance the community by educating and motivating individuals to create, develop and act on their entrepreneurial ideas. Through its MINDS series, Catalyst for Thought seeks to create a unique synergy between featured speakers and a small group of local entrepreneurs to empower each individual to help create solutions that affect society and inspire others.
John Scardino, founder and CEO of Assets in Motion, often dreamed of someday leaving his hometown of Venice to go out into the world to do something … more. He grew up in an area run by violence and gangs, and although at the time he wasn’t quite sure what that future looked like, he certainly knew what it did not look like.
“I never want to be that person who talks about what he wants to do, but never does it,” Scardino, the third speaker in Catalyst for Thought’s Westlake branch, recently told an intimate group at the Westlake Village Inn. “My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t get out of Venice.”
Scardino attended six schools while completing his undergraduate degree, but during his education he found that work was far more interesting than school because “it was real life,” he said. He started out as a clerk for a local law firm, and when the firm offered to pay for law school in Seattle he jumped at the chance. Once there, he got a job at another law firm, this one with 14 attorneys, and he learned about many different areas of law. He eventually began his career as a licensed attorney in Washington and California in 1983.
In 1985, Scardino entered the development field and, over the past 25 years, he has specialized in real estate acquisition, construction, sales, leasing and syndication for diverse single-family residential, multifamily and associated commercial projects on the Central Coast and in central Texas. Scardino has acquired, planned, developed and constructed more than $1.8 billion of real estate since he joined the industry, with an emphasis on recreational, master-planned residential and mixed-use communities featuring lake and golf course amenities, as well as retail, office and multipurpose commercial projects.
Scardino shared his thoughts and beliefs about his successes, and began by pointing out that, above all, it’s important to hire the right people.
“Surround yourself with great people who know more than you and let them do their jobs,” said Scardino. “The best ideas with crappy people will always die, but OK ideas with great people can make it. The great ideas with great people are the stuff we read about.”
Scardino’s company, Assets in Motion, currently oversees the development of several projects in California, including the largest master-planned communities in northern Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County. Over the years his projects have earned recognition from a number of well-regarded local and national industry associations, including the Housing and Urban Development Department, the Urban Land Institute, the National Association of Home Builders and the city of Austin Green Builder Program.
Scardino continued his advice by offering a unique insight into the mentality that he used to build his business from the ground up.
“Life is short so embrace your failures,” Scardino said. “It can be fatal when people allow failure or potential failure to keep them from moving forward. There’s risk in everything, but there’s a point when you have to jump. Realize that 90 percent of the world will never make that jump, and instead will only want to talk/think about it.”
When not investing his time in his business projects, Scardino takes great pride in his favorite investments: his commitments to supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of America as well as more than 25 other children’s charities. The Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center in Santa Maria, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Nipomo Community Center provide an avenue for children to better themselves and achieve their goals.
As someone who lost his own parents at a young age, Scardino has seen a lot of children go down hard paths. A part of everything his company does goes back into charities.
“Make sure you get in touch with what’s important to you,” Scardino said. “Find something you like and give. Find something that fulfills you. Whether it’s money or time … just do give.”
As his talk wound toward a close, Scardino acknowledged that these are tough times for everyone, but as the eternal optimist, he noted that it’s during these times that you find your true resilience.
“We’re all asking ‘Where do we go next?’ but no one knows because it’s a new game plan with new rules,” Scardino said. “There’s always going to be fear, so try to focus on the excitement. Life is a bunch of experiences, so ask yourself ‘What’s the alternative?’ Moving forward or staying exactly as you are.
“As long as you keep moving forward, doors will open; they just may not be the ones you’re expecting.”
Catalyst For Thought’s next MINDS event will be 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the University Club of Santa Barbara, 1332 Santa Barbara St. The event features Klaus Schauser and Jim Semick speaking about “Market Validation: Getting it Right the First Time.”
Click here for more information about Catalyst for Thought. Connect with Catalyst for Thought on Facebook. Follow Catalyst on Twitter: @CatalystSB.
— Carolyn Turner is a writer for Catalyst for Thought and works at Avalan Wealth Management as its client care director.