I am a successful entrepreneur, and former sales engineer with proven ability to achieve sales goals, and serve as a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 clients in manufacturing industries such as food and beverage, chemical, refining, power and steel.

I am seeking my next career journey for Dan Rutherford Inc. which includes revenue generation, making an impact and building a positive workplace culture.

This is my journey:

After the unexpected loss of my spouse in 2015 I decided to find ways to avoid isolation. I walked into a ballroom dance studio as a solo male student with no dancing experience. I remember how terrified I was!

After a few months of dance lessons I began performing with my professional partner in front of students. The dance floor energy filled me with joy. The ballroom dance lessons became addictive.

I enrolled in my first Pro/Am ballroom dance competition. Then I began to compete regularly in National Pro/Am ballroom dance competitions around the USA.  I was all in.

At the studio every night after work, practicing, taking private and group lessons. I even took lessons during my business trips.  My career funded my dance addiction for the next 5 years. I loved performing and made many new friendships with fellow students.  I met my girlfriend at the dance studio.  She turned to dancing after the loss of her spouse like me.

Fast forward to 2019 when I decided to voluntarily resign from my engineering and sales career.  I realized life’s too short to not be happy at work.  It was a risky choice since I did not have another job lined up.

During a vacation with my guy friends playing cards and drinking, they asked: “Dan, you seem to be talking more about your dancing than your career. Have you ever thought about owning your own dance studio?”  I said no, that’s crazy.  But why do you ask?  They said, “You’d be good at it!”  This sparked the idea to own a ballroom dance studio. 

Dancing has given me joy and transformed my life.  I want to help students learn to dance and learn the power of dancing in our lives-my “Why?”!

I began planning and opened a ballroom dance studio a couple years later.