I was into sustainability younger than most. Six-year-old me wanted to design homes with earth-covered roofs that used zero energy. An odd career choice for a first-grader, but I meant it. Oh, and to bring home a real, live Bigfoot.
My teenage dreams were more traditional – a ’66 Chevelle Super Sport, just like my Uncle Tony drove.
Pretty much every photo I could find of my early days seems to involve a car?
When it came time to choose a career, it was easy. Civil Engineer. I wanted contribute, to build homes and communities, be a great Dad, and live a godly life that I could be proud of.
Fast forward to 2026, I live in western New York, where the winters are long but my walls are (now) well insulated (even if it doesn’t have an earthen roof). My house has Bigfoot memorabilia from souvenir shops across the country.
I’m the founder and owner of Sanfilippo Solutions, a growing energy efficiency contracting company in Western New York State that has improved the comfort, safety, and efficiency of over 2,000 homes. Business is good. My team is strong.
But it wasn’t always like this
Not that long ago, I was driving alone across three counties to handle five-minute tasks I’d forgotten. I dodged calls from subcontractors and suppliers I couldn’t yet pay. On those long drives, I questioned “How did a guy with a civil engineering degree and a perfectly good work ethic, manage to get himself into this mess.”
The rest you’ll find in the book. Clark’s journey is my journey.
I am, I admit, a work in progress. But these days, I know I’m progressing in the right direction.
Yeah, still the cars. Just bigger now. And I found Bigfoot everywhere. Do What They Say Can’t Be Done!
Finding my calling
This was something I never saw coming.
I always felt, “I’m an engineer. I’ll figure it out.” And I did figure it out. Just not the way I expected; not through some quick-fix hack because as it turns out, those don’t exist.
With all those hours in the truck, Audible became my lifeline. Over time, I listened to more than 160 books – about running a business, about managing, and then about leading and mentoring.
I also found BattleCry, a men’s Christian retreat. It was there I realized: I wasn’t unusual? Despite so many of us being successful in business, we were carrying the same burdens. Feeling the weight of the whole business on our shoulders, wearing a mask, being the “lone wolf”, refusing to let others in.
I now speak at industry events and gatherings, not as the guru with all the answers, but to listen to what exhausted business owners fear and need. To walk them through what I wish someone had told to me years ago: you can’t succeed in business or life alone.
I want every overwhelmed contractor fighting through their own version of “Clark’s Tuesday”, to know that the life they dreamed they would have by now, is possible. It starts with the decision to change that first daily habit.
