
TODAY I MET RAFA
Today I met Rafa.
Crazy story. My good oil and gas buddy Ricky Menard runs the Battle Ground Championship. I’ve known Ricky since long before he got into the jiu-jitsu world. We used to work together at Premier Directional. He was the DD coordinator, and I was the MWD coordinator. We managed rigs across East Texas, West Texas, and the Northeast — probably 12 rigs total.

CHAOS: LOGO DesIGN
When I decided to open Dino Jiu Jitsu, it was the first time in years I’d launched something totally new from the ground up. No roadmap. No brand. Just an idea, a name, and a gut feeling that we were building something different.

Grand Opening: A Day of Controlled Chaos
The morning of Dino Jiu Jitsu’s grand opening was a wild ride. When we walked in, the only thing that was truly ready was the mats on the floor. That was our MVP—mats and a coach. Everything else was a work in progress.