Creating a Persona: Meet Gerry

Gerry is a 61 year-old Caucasian male living in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. He grew up in a small town in Arkansas called Russellville with his younger brother and parents. Gerry graduated from the University of Arkansas where he met his wife, Beverly. They have two daughters, both grown and college-educated. Today, Gerry is Vice President of Engineering for a mid-size petroleum services firm, the same company he has worked for most of his career. Gerry is six feet tall with salt and pepper grey hair, and enjoys playing golf, singing in his church choir, and riding his Triumph motorcycle in his spare time.

Gerry spends the vast majority of his time at work or at home. His primary concern is saving for retirement although it’s uncertain when he will actually do that. He takes a lot of pride in his job, and he still puts in long hours at the office. He’s built a successful career over the past 32 years and doesn’t want to give it up anytime soon. Recently, Gerry and Beverly bought a vacation home on Lake Conroe, just north of their home in Houston. They have both put a lot of time an effort remodeling the lake house, with Gerry doing a lot of the electrical and small carpentry projects himself. He still gets a lot of satisfaction from doing a project with his own two hands. He looks forward to spending more time there as well as traveling more once work slows down.

Family is very important to Gerry, but he’s often pulled in a lot of different directions. Although Gerry’s two daughters are grown, he still helps support them, most recently paying for one of their weddings. He’s close with his daughters, visiting with them and talking on the phone with them every so often because they don’t live in Houston anymore. Gerry’s father and most of his relatives are still living in Arkansas, and he often feels a bit disconnected from them, having moved to Texas many years ago to pursue his career. He tries to go back to Arkansas at least once a year to see his aging father and younger brother, but feels guilty he can’t see them more often. He worries about his father, well into his eighties now, still living on his own. Gerry’s mother died years ago, so he’s thankful other relatives still live in Arkansas to help keep an eye on his father.

Gerry has an easy-going attitude, not usually striving to be the center of attention. His friends know him as good story-teller and someone who loves to joke around. He is the type of person who wants everyone else around him to be happy first, often putting their needs before his own and giving them the benefit of the doubt. He has led a pretty successful life and has a generally optimistic outlook. Gerry and Beverly have an active social life, often hosting friends at their home. Recently, they hosted a karaoke party for several of their friends. Although admittedly not a great singer, Gerry really enjoys music, singing mostly classic rock tunes until his wife had to tear him away from the microphone. Gerry likes getting together with friends and having a good time. He loves a good Malbec wine or a fine scotch on the rocks.

Gerry’s style is classic and plain: a button-down shirt and tie for work and polo shirts for leisure. Although he’s a transplant-Texan, he likes Texas styles, often wearing his custom ostrich cowboy boots to work on Fridays. He’s not a workout fanatic, but he tries to stay trim at the urging of his wife and daughters. His He’s reached a certain status and financial success that allows him to buy pretty much whatever he wants, but he doesn't spend extravagantly. Gerry doesn’t shop often, so if he sees something he likes, he buys it. He values quality over quantity. He loves to drive his silver 5 series BMW, but he got it used a few years ago because he thought that was more practical and less showy than buying a brand new one. Gerry is much more willing to pay extra for truly good customer service. He doesn’t have a lot of time to waste, so when someone can help in a timely and effective manner, he’ll likely become a loyal customer for life. When he finds something he likes, he sticks with it, going to the same barber shop and the same tailor since he moved to Houston. Routine makes him feel comfortable and more secure.

Gerry makes an effort to read a lot in his spare time, often on his Kindle. He enjoys political novels and thrillers the best. On Sundays, he likes to read the New York Times, especially the business and lifestyle sections. When it comes to political views, he leans conservatively, but he watches and listens to all sorts of media. He likes technology a lot and has all the latest gadgets- iPhone, iPad, Kindle, flat screen TV and surround sound in his game room, satellite radio in his car. Whenever he finds a cool new app for his iPhone, he likes to share it with his daughters. Having the latest tech gadgets makes him feel more “with it” and connected to them.

The major pain point in Gerry’s life is limited time. As he’s gotten older, Gerry is realizing how important it is to cultivate relationships- with his immediate family, with his extended family, and with his friends. Gerry wants to live a more balanced life between work and leisure. He jumps at anything that will make his life easier, and will allow him to spend more time with his family. As he the years go by, success for Gerry is less defined by his work and more by the strong bonds with the people around him. He's come a long way from his humble beginnings in Russellville, but he still retains those small town values.