Find your passion in life!!!

---

My name is Rich, and I’m proud to be the owner of Proforma Marblehead. Mattie is my 19 year old son who was born with down syndrome. 

Special Tees is a new and exciting project for Proforma Marblehead Marketing. 

We are committed to building a sales force dedicated to developing young adults who might learn a little differently than you and Me.  Young adults who have incredible people skills, but might need some patience, coaching and mentoring. 

Mattie is my inspiration for sure!

• Mattie is learning how to sell cool swag & logoed apparel.
• Mattie is developing his public speaking skills
• Mattie is becoming more confident around people in a business setting.
• Mattie is slowly learning about the transition from formal education to a vocational setting. 

My Role As A Parent, Mentor & Business Person

As a parent of a child with Special Abilities, I find myself taking on the roles of teacher, leader, mentor, and parent. Life really is an endless learning journey, and I quickly realized I had a lot to learn. Little did I know, my greatest teacher would turn out to be my son, Mattie.

Special Tees came from recognizing the gifts that God blessed Mattie with & my desire to help him find his vocational passion in life. Mattie has incredible people skills—the kind I’ve always admired. He's sincere, honest, non-judgemental and extremely persuasive.

He can instantly turn someone’s grumpy mood into a big, warm smile. He can walk right into a CEO’s office (unannounced!) and start an engaging conversation like it’s no big deal. And one of the best skills for a salesperson—Mattie isn’t bothered by the word "no." As his parent, this has been both a challenge and an inspiration!

So Why Not Develop Those Obvious Skills?

Watching how people respond to Mattie got me thinking: 

• Why not help him continue to grow and use his talents? 
• Why not teach him how to thrive as a businessperson?
• Why not help him build his confidence?
• Why not help him continue to learn about responsibility & independence?
• Why not help him learn about making money?
• Why not have some fun?

If my wife were alive today, she would just roll her eyes at me, but I know that she would understand exactly what I'm trying to do.  I'll be honest, for whatever reason, I thought as Mattie got older, it would get easier. 

I had no idea what I was thinking!

I find myself more involved than ever before trying to help Mattie with his education, his life skills, his social life and just about every other facet in his life. So instead of running away from these challenges, I find myself running towards them to help him find his passion and be all he can be!

So Here We Go

That’s how this concept of Special Tees came to life. After so many years in business, I thought that I'd be ready to retire. But I think that God has other plans for Mattie and me.

I've worked for many years. I've enjoyed it. I've been able to take good care of my family. After Lisa passed, I really never had the same passion. 

Until now!

If I can help develop Mattie and others like Mattie, that would be incredible to me!  I honestly have no idea if I'm ready for this or what makes me uniquely qualified, but I'm so excited to explore the possibilities and see where this journey goes. 

So, we’re diving in, ready to learn, grow, and have some fun along the way.

Together, Mattie & Me are aiming to build the an incredible Special Abilities Sales Organization.