Paragon is excited to welcome Bryce Colston as a Recruiting Specialist to the team!
With continued success in our Iowa market, Bryce has joined the team to assist with hiring and engaging top-tech talent.
1. Born and raised a couple of hours east of here in Cedar Rapids, IA.
2. Attended Iowa State University where I studied Kinesiology and also was a member of the University's Track and Field Team. I was a captain my last year on the team. We were able to reunite my training group last month at the Big XII indoor meet 10 years after we parted ways.
3. I was, and still am, faster than Mike Zika (Paragon recruiter) in any race over any distance - As long as I have 12 months to train and get a significant head start ;)
4. I'm an Arizona Cardinals fan (I can't tell you why but I've loved them since I was a kid). I also liked watching the Chicago Cubs. I will always root for ISU over Iowa but if they aren't playing each other I like to see Iowa do well.
5. My parents live in a suburb of Cedar Rapids now called Hiawatha. My dad is a Major for the Linn County Sheriff's Office and my mom works for Mercy. Fun Fact: they met when my mom was a nurse at St. Luke's and my dad was a security guard there.
6. My dad used to be a K-9 handler for Linn County so for a few years we had a police dog. His name was Aron and to this day still some of the coolest things I've seen an animal do.
7. I have one younger sister, Courtney. She'll be 26 next month. I also have one nephew, Doc, who will turn 2 late this year. And one brother-in-law, Sam. I'm also an unofficial uncle to my best friend's 4 kids here in town :)
8. I won 9 state championships in high school (Open 200, 4x100, 4x200, team title in track x2) and one football title.
9. I still hold a state record as part of the 4x100 in 2008 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrke_HHFusk). We also broke the 4x200 record that year but it's been beaten since (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1z1hlKI7fQ)
10. I'm a self-taught "musician". I've played guitar for 18 years and have been working to teach myself piano over the last few. When I feel courageous I'll post some of my playing on social media. Playing music is one of my favorite ways to spend my free time. I also have a keytar and a ukulele.
11. I LOVE live music. Going to concerts is one of my favorite activities. I'll see almost any live show. I've seen John Mayer, The Midnight, Halsey, 38 Special, Three Days Grace, Mt. Joy, Breaking Benjamin, Guns N' Roses, among others. There's a smaller band out of Columbus called Red Wanting Blue that I really enjoy and have seen them over 10 times :) I have tickets to Hinterland, Mt. Joy, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Greta Van Fleet lined up for this summer.
12. I've worked for a tech start-up in the past and we were featured in the local newspaper. We were working to create an app that connected injured athletes with the best local health care providers. We were accepted into the Iowa Startup Accelerator in Cedar Rapids and given $10,000 in startup money. It failed, but I met some awesome people and learned a lot.
13. No kids, pets, or girlfriends at the moment. Although one of my roommates has a beautiful black lab named Emma.
14. I used to be a 30% owner/partner of a sandwich franchise, Erbert and Gerbert's (Minnesota people will know!) On paper, it was a great job. In reality, it was my least favorite job.
15. I've spent the past few years in the real estate space and currently have an active license, I'm really looking forward to seeing how the skills I developed in that space transfer over to the recruiting world.
16. I bought my first home in July of 2021. I offered on 2 other homes before I got one of my offers accepted. It's just south of downtown (6 min from the office!) and I currently "house hack" it and have two roommates. I paid $13,000 over the asking price and it still appraised for more than I paid for it #winning
17. Because of having my real estate license I actually got paid when I bought my home.
18. I recently completed 75 Hard (a 75-day mental challenge). During it, I lost 17 pounds and 7% body fat. It was one of the toughest things I've done as an adult but also the most rewarding thing I've done since being involved in athletics.
19. During those 75 days, I ate the same breakfast every single day (and have continued to do so since). Avocado toast, turkey bacon, and a banana.
20. In my last role in real estate, I had the opportunity to use my 7 years of experience in that area to be able to coach new people on sales calls. It helped me realize I have a passion for coaching and helping other people become the best version of themselves.
21. So far this year I've read 10 books (Big Money Energy, Atomic Habits, Will, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Never Split the Difference, Gone Girl, Modern Romance, American Girl, 12 Rules for Life, and How to Make Sh*t Happen). I'm currently splitting my time between reading Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life and The Almanac of Naval Ravikant and I also am listening to Can't Hurt Me when I go on walks.
22. I tend to smile a lot, be goofy, and can be sarcastic with the best of 'em!
23. I love playing games! Whether it's Monopoly, Mario Kart, billiards, etc. I'm always down for a game night.
24. My favorite weather is "sweatshirt and shorts" weather.
25. My "last meal" would probably have to be steak, grilled asparagus, and mashed potatoes. *RoCA's grilled beef tenderloin with brandy cream sauce is phenomenal*
Connect with Bryce on LinkedIn and follow Paragon to stay up-to-date on our latest news.