Early Life
Kevin's Initial story
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Kevin is the youngest of 3 brothers, Nick and Derek.
During the early years of their marriage, Kevin’s parents, Alan and Gloria, moved out to California, where they initially went on with their respective lines of work but later decided to pursue different career paths; his mother with nursing and his father with law.
his Family's Influence
On top of taking care of 3 children and working as a real estate agent, Kevin’s mom enrolled in nursing school in pursuit of shifting careers. After earning her degree, she landed a job as a nurse, where she was eventually tasked with managerial responsibilities.
After months of additional and more high-level duties, Kevin’s mom pushed for increased pay proportionate to her also increasing professional responsibilities – as is her right. When the company refused, Kevin’s mom would stand her ground and gain employment where she was adequately compensated for her work.
The biggest lesson Kevin learned from his mom that influenced how he manages his company is encouraging professional growth and ensuring employees are proportionally compensated for their work.
Kevin’s father has worked at IBM, Sun Technologies, Lockheed Martin, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) before moving on to Law, granting Kevin early exposure to technology and related industries. After Kevin’s mother earned her nursing degree, Kevin’s father maintained his full-time profession while in law school. Kevin seeing his father’s dedication to his goals, ingrained in him a life-long lesson of the rewards of hard work and perseverance.
Nick is Kevin’s eldest brother, now an attorney, who Kevin has always looked up to and helped him focus on his goals. Derek, the middle brother, excelled in various sports and played a significant role in Kevin’s athleticism. Collectively, each of Kevin’s family members helped shape the man he is today.
Growing up no alien to the tech industry, where innovation and knowledge are at the forefront, Kevin came of age and always put education first before sports, his close second priority. Kevin enjoyed athleticism, which his brothers also shared the same enthusiasm for.
Hockey, Cars, And A Flower Shop
Although he joined and was a fan of multiple sports, Kevin’s partiality to hockey grew; it became his favorite sport, and he played it competitively. From there, his experiences drew him to football and cars, where he eventually took automotive tech classes at junior college De Anza.
Like the rest of us, Kevin also went through a mischievous phase growing up and poked fun at his classmates in elementary. Committed and dedicated even at an early age, Kevin got his first car before 16, which he had started saving up for at 12 from his allowance and his first job at a local hockey rink.
At 16, Kevin worked at a flower shop, where he learned one of the most valuable lessons that stuck with him to this day. On the job, Kevin first met one of the owners, an elderly gentleman. In their introduction, Kevin was apprehensive about extending his hands, worried about his foiled hands from handling flowers.
Seeing Kevin’s apprehension, the owner said, “It’s okay. My hands have been dirty before”. Although it seemed like a small, kind gesture, the owner’s response spoke volumes to Kevin, urging him to ask the owner why he said that. To which the owner said, “It’s more important for me to shake your hand to let you know I respect and appreciate you’re here than some dirt on my hands.”
The lesson of respecting everyone regardless of their title made a mark on Kevin and one he fervently lives by. To Kevin, treating the janitor with the same level of respect as the CEO is a must.
His father, one of his greatest role models who helped hone the man he is today, also imprinted an albeit cliche but nonetheless valuable lesson on Kevin; if you’re gonna do something, do it right or don’t do it at all.
The Kevin Heimlich Known Today
The lessons Kevin learned in his early life did not fall on deaf ears, which is manifested in various aspects of his life. When Kevin sets a goal, he follows through with vigor. When Kevin took an automotive course at 16, Kevin got 100% and aced the test. Being the top-rated student in his class, Kevin was one of the representatives for their college in a nationwide automotive competition.
Kevin won one segment of the competition and was offered a full mechanical engineering scholarship by the Ford Motor Company for a university in Michigan, under the condition that he works for them after graduating.
However, seeing his aptitude for leadership, Kevin’s parents suggested he opt for business school instead, and should he decide to pursue mechanical engineering after earning his business degree, they would gladly fund it.
Taking up his parents’ offer instead of Ford Motor Company’s was a pivotal crossroads in Kevin’s life that led him to where he is today. Now, Kevin is the CEO and spearheads a top-rated, multi-award-winning digital marketing firm in California.
