New Hire Spotlight: Ari Garcia

Our haku team continues to grow! We welcome Ari Garcia, who was born in New York to Dominican parents, and moved to Miami with his family when he was 6. Ari joins us with extensive experience in sales for nearly 10 years and will lead our business development team. Let’s get to know more about him. 

What is your role with haku?

As Director of Business Development, I will be responsible for growing the business in all aspects of revenue, growing current accounts and expanding upon our new offerings in all avenues and revenue streams. I’ll be working with enterprise accounts, mid-market accounts as well as charity partners. 

Where do you envision your career in 5-10 years? 

I definitely want to grow and continue being successful and maximizing my potential here. Of course I aspire to become more of a leader and to prove myself in this industry and maybe reach VP status one day in the not-so-distant future. 

What is one of your biggest professional achievements? 

I would have to say helping launch one of the first bike-share projects in North America from concept to full scale deployment.

What is something you have not yet crossed off your bucket list? 

This is a tough one because I really have been lucky enough to do so much, like skydiving, traveling, etc. Swimming with sharks is something I have never done and I have to do one day. I love the ocean and the beach.

Do you have anything you are afraid of, or some kind of phobia?

I used to be scared of planes and flying for a long time. I was on a very rough flight as a teenager and that scared me big time. We almost died on that flight! But I’m over that, thankfully. I don’t think there’s anything else that I’m really afraid of. 

What is a fad or trend you would welcome back?

This might sound crazy but maybe bring back the disco era. That must have been an amazing time. 

Looking back on the past 2 years and the changes in the world due to the pandemic, what’s something you learned or took away from this time period? 

That’s a good one. I would say learning to take a step back and really live in the moment. We spend a lot of time in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and we forget to live in the moment and just appreciate what we’ve got.  

What is one of your biggest pet peeves? 

Being late. I hate being late. And between me and my wife it’s amusing at this point but if we’re supposed to be there at 8:30 and it’s 8:25 I’ll just go downstairs and wait for her - I can laugh about it now.

What are your favorite sports?

I follow everything, baseball, basketball, football, soccer. But I am a huge fan of MMA. I have been lucky enough to go to Madison Square Garden a couple of times for a fight, and I’ve seen some of the best UFC fighters live. Haven’t been to Vegas for a fight so I think that is high on my list soon.  

What has been a memorable life experience for you? 

I would say my wedding day last October. Getting married has to be the most memorable because when you find the right person, there is no better feeling. But another one I would mention is getting my German Shepherd. It was my dream dog, I always grew up playing with them around family and friends and when I was getting my own a few years ago, it was a special moment. 

What would be the first thing you did if you won the lottery? 

I would probably buy a house for my parents and my wife’s parents. 

What is something you enjoy doing on a day off? 

Going to the beach would be my first option. I would load up the cooler and head to the beach. We like to go often, but definitely go away from the South Beach chaos, to a bit more quiet areas on Miami Beach. 

----------

We are very excited to expand our sales and business development efforts and Ari will go a long way in driving these processes for us. 

Want to explore an exciting career at haku? We’re growing our team and always looking for talented and outgoing individuals to add to our incredible haku family. Check out our openings here.