Trent Griffin-Braaf
CEO, Tech Valley Shuttle
Trent Griffin-Braaf always wanted to be a business owner, he just didn’t know how he would get there.
His first shot at running a taxi company out of Troy ended when his one vehicle hit a deer.
Griffin-Braaf switched gears, building a career in the hotel industry, before finding his spot back in the transportation world.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve ever visited, and why? Prison! As humans we aren’t created to be placed in cells and removed from loved ones in that manner. I learned a lot from that experience about myself and humans in general. By far the most unusual place I’ve ever visited and someplace I don’t want to ever visit again.
What was the toughest choice you made professionally? To leave my position as the operations manager of Marriott. At that time, I had worked my way up from entry level, I was also unsure if being labeled an ex-felon would continue to haunt me. But my drive to become general manager superseded all my fears and I quit and took a shot that paid off.
What could take this region to the next level? Diversity on boards.
What would you tell your 16-year-old self? Focus on doing the opposite of what the majority of people are doing now, so you can live the life you want later.
Who are three people, dead or alive, you’d want at your next dinner party? Kobe Bryant, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr.
Why do you do what you do? I have a deep passion for business. I’m looking to leave a legacy of helping others. I want to assure my offspring are in positions to be successful and continue our family legacy.
Age: 35
Industry: Transportation
Grew up/resides now: New York City/ Saratoga County
Family: Wife, Lacey; daughters, Tatiana, 11, Talya, 9, Taylor, 1
Education: Marist College