John attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff where he graduated with a degree in Advertising and Marketing.  Having grown up with the love for the outdoors, John felt that Flagstaff was the perfect playground for college.  While there, John continued to pursue his interest in camping, hiking, mountain biking and snowboarding. Although very much interested in pursuing higher education, he enjoyed the fact that the University’s campus was located right at the base of a great ski slope. He only had to walk a short distance to a chairlift.

The summer of John’s freshmen year, he felt a need for a great adventure, so he and a buddy from high school headed “North to Alaska.” With backpacks and a tent they headed to Ketchikan, Alaska. Because it was so far north, they flew to Seattle, sailed to Bellingham, Washington, and took a 40 hour ferry boat ride to Ketchikan. Once there, John lived in a tent for 8 weeks and accepted a job packing dynamite to be able to buy groceries.  As the fishing season began, John and his buddy found great paying jobs working in a cold storage for a fishery.   This was just the job that John had been looking for: 10 to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It was hard work but great pay. After working such long and hard hours, the rest of their time was spent sleeping. This was great, for he was able to save a lot of money for the next school year and all the fun it would bring.

John graduated in 2001 and got a job with NBC, working the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.  That was the perfect job to follow the snow and pursue his love for the great outdoors.  John’s next stint with NBC took him to Denver, Colorado, working the NASCAR Circuit.  John did this for 2 more years.

In 2004, John moved back to St Louis and back to his roots.  John has an older sister and one younger brother. In high school he attended Parkway South High. There he enjoyed playing soccer on the varsity team as well as being a member of The Busch Soccer Club. He graduated in 1997.

Having moved back to St. Louis,  John went to work for Pingel Displays for 2 years.  During this time, friends introduced John to his future bride, Megan.  They dated for about 6 years and found many common interests including hiking, biking and skiing.  They married in July 2010 and were blessed to be on a honeymoon for 9 days in beautiful parts of Costa Rica.  There they hiked the volcanoes, enjoyed zip lining, as well as lazy days on the beaches.

In March of 2009, John joined The Keane Insurance Group.  He is very excited to be part of the sales team and is dedicated to making this a successful and long lasting career.

Ed and I start each day roughly between 4:15 and 4:40 a.m. (depending on how many times we hit the “SNOOZE”).  By 5-5:15ish, we’re at the gym.  Mon- Fri.  On Saturday we sleep in until 6:30 a.m. and we’re at the gym by 8:00.  I never considered myself a “morning person”, but I guess I’ve converted (begrudgingly…). This has become “a way of life” or one of our “healthier habits.”  Mon –Wed-Fri my workout consists of 20 minutes of Cardio (Elliptical or Bike) and then 35-40 minutes of weights.  Tues-Thurs-Sat I do just Cardio for 45 min or up to an hour and then 5 – 10 minutes of stretching at the end.  We started this about 8 years ago. The last three months, I’ve added “Yoga” into the mix.  I attend a Basic Yoga class, along with Tammy, Debbie and Lauren on Wednesday at St. Anthony’s after work.  I knew NOTHING about “Yoga”, but I’m so glad I decided to join.  Yoga works on strengthening your “core”, plus improves flexibility and balance.  It also teaches you to “quiet your mind” and focus on your breathing.  It’s hard work, but I can definitely say that after 3 months, I feel stronger and more flexible (both mentally and physically) yet, I’m still working on the balance part – I tend to fall over during some poses.  Some of the poses have very funny names, but while you’re in the pose, you really get the name and why – Here’s some of them – downward dog, dolphin, plank, table, cobra, happy baby, child’s pose, warrior.  Yoga actually strengthens your body in much the same way as weight training – The stretches and poses actually cause tiny tears in your muscle and as the tears heal, it makes the muscle stronger.  I HURT after Yoga, but I feel very happy.  I also enjoy the time spent with my friends.  It gives us a chance to bond, laugh at ourselves (and each other).  I’m glad I’ve made the commitment to exercise.  The mental and physical benefits are definitely worth it.  I’m hooked now and although I can’t say I enjoy getting up early, I know it’s part of my life and helps me to be a better “me”.

As some of you know, I love playing sports.  Well, this summer, I decided to concentrate on my golf “game”.  I first played the game a few years ago, by accident, and unexpectedly fell in love with it… but that was as far as it got.  Last fall I took lessons and learned that my years of playing softball were definitely not a plus for developing a good golf swing.  I persevered, and with a bit of time and practice started feeling a bit more comfortable.  After a few sessions on the golf course with a friend that has been playing since age four, last week I played what I could actually categorize as a true “game” of golf… meaning I was able to decide myself what club I should use to tee off each hole, utilized golf etiquette to the best of my ability… and had a score I was willing to share with others!!  Still enjoy biking riding with my group “JoyRiders” and doing my sunrise walking with Tammy, too.

The last months of the year (August through December) the Keane Chronicle asks employees to contribute appropriately to each monthly series. This month spotlights exercise, and our first article is from Erin Stone!

In early 2010, I signed up to walk 39.3 miles for Breast Cancer. I had always enjoyed walking, but had never even trained for a half marathon. I walked for exercise and stopped when I wanted, so when training began in early March, I was so overwhelmed. My first “long” walk was 5 miles and I made it without dying…. so the training continued.

Walking is a great form of exercise and is free! There are great trails in St. Louis, which offer long walks or short walks depending on the desired distance. One of my favorite trails is Cliff Cave Park, which is a 5 mile loop along the Mississippi River. It is a beautiful walk! My training for the race had me walking 3 medium walks (3- 4 miles) during the week and 2 long walks (10- 20 miles) on the weekends. It was time consuming, but was all worth it when I finished 39.3 miles in June! It is amazing what your body can do when pushed! I was instantly addicted to walking and can’t wait for the next race in October. I would highly recommend walking, anyone can do it. Start where you feel comfortable and before you know it you will be surprised at how you feel! My 5 year old daughter told me throughout my training, “When you want to quit, just keep walking, just keep walking!“, a Finding Nemo reference.

Rachel attended North Carolina State University where she was a third generation. There she majored in Video Production. Born in 1978 in Raleigh, North Carolina, Rachel grew up in Henderson ,N.C. She has two younger brothers. Asking Rachel about her grade school and high school days, she said, “all I did was read, read, read.” At North Carolina State Rachel was active in social clubs and a member of the Honor Society Phi Beta Kappa.  Also during her college days Rachel became active in a campus ministry called Campus Crusade for Christ (this is a non-denominational Christian ministry on major college campuses throughout the United States). At State Rachel met an Engineering student who was also active in Campus Crusade. She and Tim enjoyed each others company and became very good friends.

After graduation, Rachel made a two year commitment to Campus Crusade. After months of raising her support, Campus Crusade for Christ took her to Kosice Slovakia.  There she shared her walk with the Lord and her Christian beliefs with other young people. After a year, Rachel’s friend Tim, having just graduated from State with a chemical engineering degree, also began working with Campus Crusade’s ministry in Kosice, Slovakia.

In 2002 Rachel returned home to her beloved North Carolina. Next she got a job with the state in Emergency Management. Tim, also back home, started working for DuPont, with the ultimate goal of going to seminary.  Rachel shared with me, that Tim began to feel the call to preach after his second year of college. After a short engagement, Tim and Rachel got married in the spring of 2003. July 2003, Tim follows his heart, and the newlyweds move to St. Louis so that Tim could attend Covenant Seminary.

Early on in St. Louis they started attending Providence Presbyterian church and attended a Harvest Party at Keane Acres. With so much in common, Tim and John became fast friends. Two years later Rachel became a part of the Keane Group family.  In 2006 Tim graduated from Covenant Seminary and became a part time assistant pastor at Providence. Tim is now working on his doctorate at St. Louis University in Historical Theology. Rachel shared that Tim does all of the cooking and she made it no secret that he is very good in the kitchen, and loves to cook their favorite southern dishes.

To know Rachel is to know that she is full of laughter, full of fun and has a real zest for life. She is very creative and loves to refurbish antiques. Rachel also collects American Art Pottery as well as good china pieces from the 50’s and 60’s. She also loves to sew, quilt and scrapbooking. She has many outlets for her creative talents.