In 2008, I Lost $70 Million. I Could Have Walked Away. Here's Why I Didn't.

I don't talk about this much on the campaign trail. But it's probably the most important thing you should know about me before you decide who gets your vote on May 2nd.

In 2008, the financial crisis gutted the construction industry overnight. Financial institutions stopped lending. Developers went bankrupt. Projects were abandoned mid-build. Contractors who had been thriving for decades couldn't make payroll. Our heavy civil contracting company — the one we spent 19 years growing into a $370 million operation with 1,500+ employees — got hit with roughly $70 to $75 million in total losses when receivables collapsed.

Rod encouraged his partner and the leadership team to move on and build something new while he stayed behind to close things down the right way. Which is now RPM/RPMX. Legally, walking away was an option for me too. Plenty of contractors took that route. File bankruptcy, protect your personal assets, start over.

I stayed.

Everyone Gets Paid

I asked myself one question: what's the right thing to do? The answer wasn't complicated. Every creditor, every subcontractor, every employee who had trusted us and worked alongside us deserved to be paid. Not partially. Not eventually. In full.

So that's what I did. I invested millions from my own pocket. I filed for corporate bankruptcy — not to escape obligation, but to make sure every single dollar was collected and every person who relied on us was made whole. I personally guaranteed debts when financial institutions wouldn't extend credit. I liquidated personal assets to cover payroll. I spent years unwinding it, one payment at a time.

It would have been easier to walk away. It would have been legal. But I didn't spend 19 years building a reputation and relationships just to abandon the people who helped me build them.

Why This Matters for Frisco

I'm not telling you this story to get sympathy. I'm telling you because being mayor of a city of 250,000 is going to require exactly this kind of decision-making — moments where the easy choice and the right choice aren't the same thing.

When developers pressure the city to approve projects that don't serve residents, will the mayor stand firm — or will campaign contributions tip the scale? When the budget gets tight, will the mayor cut roads and public safety to protect pet projects — or make the hard call? When the next economic downturn hits, will the mayor protect taxpayers — or kick the problem to the next administration?

I've already answered these questions. Not with campaign promises. With my own money, my own time, and years of my life spent doing right by people who counted on me.

What I Learned

The 2008 crisis taught me something I carry into this campaign every day: your character isn't what you say when things are good. It's what you do when everything falls apart.

I didn't file personal bankruptcy. I didn't abandon my obligations. I didn't blame the banks or the economy. I stood in it and did the hard thing because it was the right thing. And when it was over, I could look every person I'd ever worked with in the eye.

That's the only way I know how to lead. And it's exactly how I'll lead Frisco.

Learn more about Rod's story → Support the campaign →