Steve was born and raised in Scotland and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc Summa Cum Laude in Computer Science. After graduation, he joined Scotland’s oldest Stockbroker Wood Mackenzie to build the first ever automated Trading Systems for Stock & Stock Options. This launched a 30 year career building global enterprise financial platforms which spurred travel all over the World, including a 15 year stint in Silicon Valley, and the last 15 years having a home base in Aspen, Colorado.
He has worked with multiple startups at every stage from pre-seed through to growing Unicorn sized companies. Steve has held multiple roles, often several at the same time, including VP of Engineering, Chief Architect, CTO and now CPTO to help drive ThirdHome to new levels of global success as we transition from successful startup to a global enterprise platform. The global nature of financial platforms provide the opportunity for extensive travel to multiple countries including Vietnam, Japan, India, Australia, Austria, Germany & France. The old adage work hard & play hard is a favored style where he was able to explore many eclectic travel opportunities including riding on a Elephant in Rajasthan, Staying in Tree Houses in Vietnam and watching Sumo Tournaments in Tokyo.
Outside of work Steve & Family (wife Janette, also Scottish, and their three kids) enjoy the Aspen area and increasingly travel further afield, which has been turbo charged since joining ThirdHome as a member over 2 years ago. Several interests are always competing for attention from anything Scottish(& Pictish)- history, politics & business (including being part of the voluntary Scottish Government GlobalScot network to help Scottish companies grow & expand); Single Malts with his 4th “Kid” Boyd, turning 23rd next year, a cask of whisky maturing nicely on the Isle of Islay; Crypto/Metaverse & Gaming; gourmet food and especially all things Uni; anything Tiki including a recently completed home Tiki Bar/Speakeasy.
Laura-Jade, originally from the UK, has built her career across the globe and now resides on the Gold Coast, Australia. A recognised leader skilled in developing, executing, and nurturing unique brands, she drives them to end-to-end success. Over nearly two decades, she has cultivated a global career spanning various sectors including business, property, hospitality, and the creative industries. Her natural curiosity, intuition, and analytical mindset have enabled her to make significant impacts in both creative and commercial realms.
Bringing to the table a genuine passion for collaboration, a fresh perspective, and a touch of British wit, she approaches her work with an eye for detail and a creative flair for sales and marketing strategy. Through uniting teams, she strives to achieve cross-functional outcomes via customer-centric campaigns, activations, and partnerships.
Drawing from her extensive background in operations, she has successfully spearheaded brand and marketing growth initiatives that resonate with both internal and external stakeholders. Having held executive positions with Accor, Palazzo Versace, QT Hotels & Resorts, and having operated her own marketing agency for nearly a decade, she has amassed a wealth of experience. This experience continuously fuels her drive for change, innovation, and the development of a unique and complementary skill set in an ever-evolving industry.
Outside of work, Laura-Jade loves spending her days reading, writing, walking, swimming in the ocean, practicing yoga and pilates, and planning her next international adventure. A keen traveler, she relishes exploring other countries and experiencing different cultures.
A native Texan, Rowdy resides in Austin with his wife and three children. Born in Houston and raised nearby in Tomball, Rowdy spent much of his childhood traveling throughout the southeastern states with his grandfather, setting up tents at revivals. In high school, Rowdy excelled in athletics that awarded him collegiate football scholarships to SFA and Texas Tech University.
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Rowdy has spent 30 years developing relationship across various industries which include film & television, healthcare, commercial and residential real estate and resort development. Prior to joining ThirdHome Rowdy was located in Belize where he worked as the Senior Sales Director for Turtle Island Resort and Residences. Rowdy joins ThirdHome as Director of Business Development and heads up the Ambassador program for Realtors.
Rowdy loves traveling and meeting new people—most notable travels include filming on location in Croatia, Kenya, Greece, Germany, Finland, Baja and Israel, and he road-trips to Colorado every chance he gets. His most enjoyable accomplishment to date was caddying for his son at a Texas Junior’s PGA event.
Dan Cranney oversees the member-centric focus at ThirdHome by integrating functions of sales, marketing, and IT. He loves learning about members’ unique properties all over the world and believes that the “shared economy” will change the way people think about real estate and travel. Dan developed a Caribbean Island resort and marina and has consulted on exotic resort developments and hospitality concepts around the world. Dan has traveled and explored more than 30 countries. Favorite travel memories always include getting lost just enough to discover the local food, people, and history that make that place unique. He is passionate about how ThirdHome inspires people to create more memories with those they love and encourages freedom to experience the world.
Born and raised in the Dutch region Limburg near international cities Maastricht and Aachen, and fluent in Dutch/Flemish, German, English, and Spanish, Ivo is a true multi-cultural European citizen. Following his studies in economics and marketing, he established his own real estate agency and sold residential homes in Holland and holiday homes in Spain and Florida. He sold the business in 2006 and moved to Marbella, where he enjoyed a successful career with global industry leader Marriott Vacation Club International, holding several management positions. Desiring greater flexibility and the ability to spend more time with his family, Ivo’s next career move came in 2013 as he became an independent consultant for real-estate developers and resort and lifestyle operators. He came across ThirdHome during one of his last assignments in that role, and was immediately hooked on this fascinating concept. With nearly 25 years of experience in marketing, sales, and business development in the real estate, holiday homes, and resort industries, Ivo is now actively involved in developing ThirdHome’s presence in Europe.
Ivo and his family are frequent travelers, alternating luxury long-haul lifestyle experiences with basic next-door adventures. When Ivo has free time, he kicks a soccer-ball around a golf course, and he co-founded FootGolf Marbella, one of Europe’s leading FootGolf operators. Ivo’s main hobby has always been soccer; he played at a respectable level and provided funds and selected trainers and players to restructure a local club. His two kids’ activities currently have him spending time outdoor and at the local soccer club. He also finds the time to attend soccer matches across the continent as he indulges his other hobby: traveling and exploring new regions and cities. But even though he’s long resided outside of the Netherlands, he still calls it home.
Niki was born and raised in the Allgäu region in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria to a German father and an Austrian mother, married an Italian woman, lives in Spain, and speaks four languages (German, English, Spanish, and Italian), so he considers himself a true European citizen. After studying business administration in Munich (Germany) and earning an MBA from the University of Liverpool (UK), Niki accumulated over 15 years of experience in marketing, sales, and business development in the second home and resort industries.
He’s held management positions and assignments with leading hospitality and leisure real estate companies including Marriott Vacations Worldwide, HomeAway, and Expedia, and has lived and worked in Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Niki’s other activities include serving as a committee and award jury member for industry organizations the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA ) and the European Holiday Home Association (EHHA) and as a guest professor at the Hospitality Management Master program (University of Palermo in Sicily together with Florida International University in Miami). In addition, he’s been appointed an expert in assessing hospitality and tourism projects co-funded by the European Union and is often invited to deliver keynote speeches, presentations, and seminars at industry events and conferences.
In his role as Senior Vice President, International, Niki’s focus is on increasing the number of properties and club members around the world. He and his wife own vacation homes in Spain and Italy, so he understands owning second homes. He’s excited to lead his team as they help others take advantage of unused time at their properties and experience a completely new approach to travel. Niki spends his free time playing golf and traveling the world with his family. He lives in Marbella, Spain with his wife Monia and their children, Liam and Sofia.
Stu Grimson began his professional hockey career in 1987. His on-ice reputation as an enforcer, helped earn him the nickname, “The Grim Reaper” accumulating more than 2000 penalty minutes. Over the course of his NHL hockey career, he donned jerseys for the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and finally the Nashville Predators where he finished a stellar career in 2003. Over the course of his 729-game career, Stu played for two Stanley Cup Finalists.
After his playing career ended, Stu returned to school to complete his undergraduate studies in Economics before going on to earn a law degree from the University of Memphis in December of 2005. The Vancouver, British Columbia native then went to work as a labor lawyer for the National Hockey League Players’ Union in Toronto, Ontario before returning to Nashville in 2008 to work as a defense attorney at Kay Griffin PLLC.
Grimson joins the THIRDHOME team as Corporate Counsel & Vice President of Business Development and is responsible for assorted corporate legal matters, cultivating new partnerships with luxury resorts, real estate developers, and vacation rental managers. His initial focus will be in regions he came to know well during his career as a professional hockey player: Nashville, Chicago, and Canadian provinces British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.
In addition to his current role at THIRDHOME, Stu maintains a connection to the NHL as a senior analyst on the NHL’s flagship broadcasting platform, the NHL Network. Stu and his wife Jennifer reside in Nashville Tennessee.
Zach Gates heads up our Client Growth Team, which is responsible for educating prospective THIRDHOME members on all the amazing travel benefits our membership can bring, as well as assisting new members in getting signed up and approved for Club travel. Zach is originally from the Dallas area and attended Texas A&M University for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, specializing in Marketing and Real Estate. Zach has worked in commercial real estate and travel and hospitality throughout his career and spent six years in Vail, Colorado, where he got a thorough education in luxury ski travel. Zach is well traveled and has too many hobbies to count, but would count amongst his favorites photography, hiking and mountaineering, backpacking, paddle-boarding, obsessing over SEC football and most importantly, snowboarding. He has visited Guatemala, Mexico, France, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Japan, Indonesia, Barbados, the Bahamas, Canada, Iceland, Spain, Ireland, and 44 of the 50 United States.
Mike joined the THIRDHOME team in August 2015. In his current position, he ensures that THIRDHOME members get as much out of their membership as possible. Prior to joining THIRDHOME, Mike was the Corporate Partnerships Manager for the Carolina Hurricane’s AHL affiliate, Charlotte Checkers, and more recently for the Oakland A’s Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. There he worked alongside many large companies including Gold’s Gym, Geico, Coca-Cola, and Papa John’s, helping them develop strategies to activate their sponsorships within AHL and the Triple-A. Early last year, Mike strapped on his guitar and backpack and headed for the rainforests of Costa Rica to live a little, surf a little and pick a little. Recently, he’s been spending his free time with his new six-stringed baby, a Fender Telecaster guitar.
With 40 years in the sector, Wade Shealy is one of America’s top leaders in resort real estate development, marketing and sales. In 2010, in response to a market need to help second homeowners realize more value in their ownership, he founded and launched THIRDHOME, the industry’s premier luxury property and travel club.
Wade is recognized as the visionary force behind a series of high-profile real estate development projects. Most notably, the purchase, vision and development of Hampton Island, Georgia, an exemplary coastal community with one of the lowest impacts on the surrounding environment.
Hampton Island, a 4,000-acre private community off the Georgia coast, was cited in Robb Report’s “Best of the Best” as one of the top three private communities in North America. Hampton Island became the second home to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, along with Robert and Lydia Mondavi, among other high-profile residents. The Hampton Island development was featured in numerous publications and won national awards for architecture and design.
Wade graduated from the University of Georgia equipped for his future with far more than an Honors degree. Working for straight commission, 80 hours a week with the Southwestern Company selling bibles and educational books door-to-door, prepared him early on for many years ahead of entrepreneurial leadership.
As a college student, Wade rose through the ranks to become one of the organization’s top salespeople, along the way recruiting both the largest student team and the team selling the most volume, in Southwestern’s 155-year history. As a District Sales Manager, he was named “District Sales Manager of the Year” for each of his four consecutive years in that role.
In 1984, Wade began working in resort real estate, co-founding The Pinnacle Group in 1986 and growing it into one of the largest and most successful real estate companies on Hilton Head Island and the state of South Carolina.
As Vice President of Intrawest, a premier North American mountain resort and adventure company, Wade directed sales and marketing for 12 different resorts with locations from New England to the Caribbean, successfully closing over $500 million in sales, annually. During his years in resort real estate, he developed and sold more than $3 billion in real estate.
Wade has been featured in national and international publications, most notably the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. He also enjoys returning to his alma mater, the University of Georgia, as a frequent lecturer at the Business School, as well as to the College of Environment and Design in Landscape Architecture.
Wade was instrumental in the creation of the Land Conservation Program for the State of Georgia and subsequently appointed by the Governor of Georgia, to the State Board of Land Conservation, serving for five years. Under Wade’s direction, tens of thousands of acres of pristine land were protected. He was also appointed to the state’s Marshland and Wetlands Protection Committee and voted the “Tree Friendly Developer” for the state of Georgia.
Wade lives on a horse farm outside Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee. Besides his horses, Wade also raises bees and chickens. Inspired by his early background in nature preservation, he designed and built a natural swimming pond on his farm, one of the first of its kind in the U.S. Wade has three children, his youngest attends Arizona State University, his daughter lives in Greenville SC and is an entrepreneur with a very successful Medical Spa, and his oldest son is a Professor of Sustainable Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Based in THIRDHOME’s European office in London, Giles was a Founder and Managing Director of European competitor, Utopia Exchange, before the company merged with THIRDHOME in 2010. His 17-year marketing and business development career started in New York with an advertising agency named M&C Saatchi where he managed the accounts for The Related Companies and The Sunshine Group. His team designed and managed all of the collateral that helped sell $500 million in real estate at One Central Park West and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental.
In 2004-2005 he earned an MBA at The University of Bath, UK focusing on marketing and entrepreneurship before joining the London office of the NFL. His first foray into start-ups came when he joined mobile find service 82ASK as their Marketing Director. He re-branded the company to Texperts and it was sold to 118 118 in 2008. He has an undergraduate degree from The University of Edinburgh and his fortunate and extensive travels have taken him from rainforests in Paraguay to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. He loves pretty much all sports and was happy to retire from his brief boxing career a few years back undefeated.
Roger grew up in a small town in West Tennessee and attended Lambuth University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Business Administration. He began working and playing in a band which eventually led him to Nashville. After receiving his MBA from Middle Tennessee University, he joined the Southwestern Company, the oldest privately owned company in Nashville. He served in a number of capacities within the Southwestern family of companies including Director of Marketing, Director of Business Development, Vice President of Custom Publishing and President and Publisher in the Southwestern Publishing Group. With an extensive background in sales and marketing, Roger earned numerous awards while setting sales records as a Publishing Consultant.
Since joining THIRDHOME in 2013, his primary responsibility has been to seek out partnerships with luxury resorts, vacation rental managers and developers for the THIRDHOME Affiliate program. These efforts have added over 100 new partnerships and thousands of new members and homes worldwide. Roger was named President of THIRDHOME in 2021.
As an empty nester, he and his wife Melanie live in Franklin, Tennessee where they are surrounded by 5 children and 7 grandchildren. Roger has served on the boards of many local charities and civic organizations in and around Nashville. Working through his church, he participated in Tsunami relief in Sumatra and even led a team to Haiti doing disaster relief. A musician, workout enthusiast, sports fan and avid outdoorsman, Roger loves to hunt and fish and spend time on his farm when he’s not traveling for THIRDHOME in search of new Affiliates and Partners.