About Us - Sota to Sota

 My name is Derick, and I'm originally from Blaine, MN. I went to school at Blaine High School, and went to University of Minnesota where I graduated with a degree of Finance and Economics from the Carlson School of Management. I decided to move to Chicago after I graduated because I felt there would be more job opportunities as I progressed my career.

In Chicago I worked for PwC Consulting doing strategy and M&A work. I went to work for one of my clients, but then it was time to make a decision on where I wanted to go to school...I originally wanted to go to Northwestern (Kellogg) because they had a one-year MBA program, but I settled on Emory (Goizueta) because I when I visited the school I had a good vibe, they had a 1-year program, people where nice and the weather was sunny and 65 vs. snowing in Chicago.

I love the midwest, and I will always think people there are the best. That said, cold weather doesn't make me happy because I can't be outdoors, which is where I belong...with nature as much as possible. This is why I ventured to Atlanta, and that's where my wife (Daniela) had our two children who are now 6 and 8 years old. Once the pandemic hit, we decided to hit the road for a new adventure. This sounds like a good idea, but it was incredibly challenging. Our dog died, my wife's mother and grandmother died, I had to quit my job to help our kids with virtual school, and a bunch of other crap that many other people had to deal with during the pandemic.

Despite all the struggles, the housing / rental shortage, furniture shortages, and just overall awkwardness of the year we feel we found a perfect home in a great neighborhood (Turtle Rock on Palmer Ranch) in an awesome city (Sarasota, FL). We hope you both benefit and enjoy learning from our experience, and hope you find what makes you happy. Please read about why it was worth it, and what we found out during our adventure. Please make your way over to our shop for the best beach home decor (we ship your gear in 100% biodegradable boxes from CustomBoxes.io / see name registration).