Dan McElroy

Responsibility, Futuristic, Learner, Achiever, Adaptability

I’ve always been interested in finance and science. I bought my first stock when I was 10 or 11 with some of my lawn-mowing earnings, and the school science fair was one of my favorite activities (ask me about the strength of truss vs. flat bridge designs). I pursued both of these passions into college. When I was forced to pick one for a major, I followed the money and went the business route, earning an MBA from U of I. Before joining Blue Door Consulting, I spent 16 years at a point-of-sale marketing/logistics company, where I learned all aspects of the business inside and outside of the finance group.

My left-brain tendencies continue. I love to try and fix everything myself before calling in an expert, and luckily I have done more good than harm around the house. (Thank you, YouTube!). Fun fact: I haven’t had a landline, cable tv, or a microwave in over five years.

I enjoy competing and have always participated in a sport of some kind. I played soccer and basketball as a kid and threw a lot of things in high school, on the “field” half of the track and field team—mainly shotput, long jump, and discus. I turned to rugby in my 20’s and returned to it during a brief midlife crisis a couple of years ago, just long enough to realize that I am now way, way too old for that. Now, it’s hockey that I most enjoy (more padding), playing a few times a week.

I love the outdoors and travelling and spend most of my free time kayaking or fishing or hiking and fat biking in the mountains. I also really enjoy brewing beer—it’s the perfect combination of science and creativity, and a few times a year I will spend an entire weekend day, 12-16 hours, smoking delicious pork shoulders or beef brisket. I can’t wait to cook up a feast for my Blue Door Consulting teammates the next time we all gather in Oshkosh (hey, wait…I didn’t write that! This is what I get for being the finance guy in an organization full of constantly creative types!)