Men and Their Chairs 2022
13th Annual Celebration of Local Men
June 2022 Issue
Photography by Kelly Hunter and
Mike Force Photography
There’s just something about a man and his chair. From Archie Bunker’s iconic recliner to Sheldon Cooper’s carefully positioned “spot,” pop culture is filled with men and their chairs. Here at Paisley, we usually focus on the women of our community, but each June we give the guys their time in the spotlight. Some of these gentlemen seem to be always on the move, but our photographers managed to capture them at their favorite resting spots. They graciously answered our questions and opened up about themselves. We proudly present a few of Coastal Georgia’s Men and their Chairs:
Daniel Jackson
Hometown: Sandy, Utah
Current Town: Brunswick Single.
Family: I have one older brother and one twin sister, plus a new brother-in-law thanks to my sister just recently getting married.
My favorite motto or words to live by: When you help someone, you help everyone. I believe the same thing is true for the Penguin Project and its mission to help people with disabilities learn their lines, blocking and choreography by giving them the spotlight and pairing those artists (young people with disabilities) with a mentor who will help them with anything and everything I just mentioned above if they need it. Anything is possible with enough practice and dedication.
Something about me that would surprise people: I’m a first degree black belt in Taekwondo.
One thing I hope to see in my lifetime: Honestly? Probably a fourth Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire, though I doubt it will happen considering what other plans Sony might have for the character.
One of the craziest things I’ve ever done: I would love to say I walked a tight rope across the Grand Canyon or a large gap between two tall buildings but my life is not nearly exciting enough for that. The only thing that even really comes close is this one time I was at a pool, I tried to do a front flip off the low dive and landed on my back, or as I like to say, I did a back flop and it really hurt.
My perfect day off from work would be spent doing: Either playing video games or watching a movie or TV show. Maybe travel some where on occasion, as well.
My greatest adventure: Making three cross-country trips when we moved from Utah to Brunswick. Especially the last trip with the pets. Thank goodness I’ll never have to do that again. I would probably call the Penguin Project an adventure in of itself, as well.
One piece of advice I would give to my 18-year-old self is: Don’t be afraid to try new things even if it may not seem cool at the time. I wish I would have looked for shows at my school I could have auditioned for at the time. I hope that I would have made it in some of them, but I was also worried about how that would affect my grades. I didn’t realize what I was missing out on until we started the Penguin Project five years ago.
What you should know about my chair: The first time I went to the Ritz Theater was when I played Oliver Warbucks when we started with Annie that first year in 2017 when we started the Penguin Project. I have been in every production since then. This year is my fifth show with the Penguin Project. I have also been in three different versions of A Christmas Carol also at the Ritz but separate from the Penguin Project. Just recently I have auditioned to do a show with the Brunswick Actors’ Theatre. Hopefully I’ll get to be a part of that.
One thing my chair would say about me is: I would hope if my chair could talk it would say the same thing I have heard from other people: How great I am in some of the roles I have played so far, and I always do my best to have each performance top the performance from the year before and make it look just as great. I look back at my other performances and think “what could I do differently here?” or “how could I do this better than before?” Basically in Peter Parker’s words in Spider-Man 2 always “trying to do better” or to always improve my performance in some way with each new show I’m a part of.
Mike Force
Hometown: Utica, New York
Current Town: Brunswick
Career: Special Agent U.S. Treasury, Now a Photographer
Married: to Maggie
Children: Two sons, Mike and Derek.
Each of them have two sons.
My favorite motto or words to live by: Live like there’s no tomorrow.
Something about me that would surprise people is: I feed 8 stray cats every day.
One thing I hope to see in my lifetime: Age 80
One of the craziest things I’ve ever done: We took a taxi in Jamaica once. Never again!
My perfect day off from work would be spent: Spending time with my wife.
My greatest adventure: Exploring caves in Cozumel.
One piece of advice I would give to my 18-year-old self is: Better to try and fail than not to try.
What you should know about my chair: It found its home on our back deck overlooking our pool. We bought it at an antique store.
One thing my chair would say about me is: He has a bony butt.
Dr. Kavanaugh Chandler
Hometown: Jamaica, West Indies/Statesboro, Georgia
Career: Chief Executive Officer
Married.
Family: Two daughters, Marley (13 years old) and Sophia (5 years old)
My favorite motto or words to live by: “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious … and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” —Walt Disney.
Something about me that would surprise people: I enjoy country music.
One thing I hope to see in my lifetime: Just seeing my girls grow up to chase their dreams and create their own paths in life. I look forward to sitting back in my chair and watching the next generation’s growth, knowing I played a part in it somehow.
One of the craziest things I’ve ever done: I think our honeymoon. My wife and I traveled across Europe for our honeymoon, but it was very much like the old TV show The Amazing Race. Our trip started out in the Caribbean, and we ended up in Miami, London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and back to the Caribbean.
My perfect day off from work would be spent: At the beach, relaxing and reflecting, with my toes in white sand and the warm water.
My greatest adventure: Fatherhood! I have learned so much of myself (strengths, weaknesses, growth, humility, joy and so much more).
One piece of advice I would give to my 18-year-old self is: Continue to push forward and work hard, but also enjoy the moment—time goes by so quickly.
What you should know about my chair: This “Chair” has a foundation built on 8 years of commitment to the community and expanding access to care. I recall being informed of the opportunity to interview for the position of CEO at Coastal Community Health; the timing was just right. Other opportunities had presented themselves, and each offered something special, however this “Chair” provided an opportunity for me to become part of the community and to further expand services in line with our mission but designed by the community. This “Chair” provides me a wonderful opportunity to build a strong team that continues to push the boundaries and explore new things in a responsible manner.
One thing my chair would say about me is: This “Chair” would tell you that I am a man of integrity, that I am committed to excellence, fairness, transparency, accountability, and always seeking to create an environment that fosters growth for all, both personally and professionally.
Geoffrey Gable
Hometown: Brunswick, Georgia, by way of Woodbury Heights, NJ
Career: Surfboard Shaper/Surf Shop Owner
Single/Married: I have a girlfriend.
Family: Daughter Addison (12 years old) and Son Deegan (3.5 years old)
My favorite motto or words to live by: If this was easy, everyone would do it.
Something about me that would surprise people is: I worked as a chef for 22 years in 4 and 5 star resorts and fine dining restaurants.
One thing I hope to see in my lifetime: My kids take over the business. My daughter saw me as a chef most of her life, so she might head into that career, but my son has grown up in the board shop.
One of the craziest things I’ve ever done: Step away from a career I was successful at and start at the bottom again. I never thought I would be a rookie again, but using things I’ve learned in the culinary world has helped me with my new business.
My perfect day off from work would be: A day out on the water.
My greatest adventure: Spent a month at sea with the Ocearch research ship as their chef last summer. I got to touch a few great white sharks and watch the sun rise and set with no land in sight.
What you should know about my chair: Since I never really sit, my shaping rack turns into my table and office for some lunch breaks.
One thing my chair would say to me is: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Roderick "Kali Kold" Gardner, Jr.
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Career: Talent/Production iHeartMedia; Midday Host WBGA HALLELUJAH 96.3; Afternoon Host WQGA 103Q; Afternoon Host LOVE 101.1
Married.
Family: Wife—Mindi Dawson Gardner; Daughter—Brooklyn Gardner; Dad— Roderick Gardner, Sr.; Mom—Sheree Lattany Gardner
My favorite motto or words to live by are: In everything you do be led by Love; let Love lead you, because God is Love
Something about me that would surprise people: I’ve been listening to talk radio since middle school.
One thing I hope to see in my lifetime: I’d love to see reparations allotted to all the descendants of the families who built this beautiful Georgia coast up to what we all get to enjoy today.
One of the craziest things I’ve ever done: I picked up a skunk to pet it when I was 4 years old. I thought it was a cat. My mom had to give me a tomato sauce bath! LOL
My perfect day off from work would be spent: Going to the beach with my family; I love the beach!
My greatest adventure: My 10 years of fatherhood! I’ve learned a lot, and I want to continue to grow as a parent.
One piece of advice I would give to my 18-year-old self is:
Keep going!
What you should know about my chair: I’m the Production Director at iHeartMedia Brunswick, so I’m always in my chair cutting commercials in the studio. My Chair is very essential to my workspace and helps me stay in the studio until the work is done.
One thing my chair would say about me is:
Stop spinning! LOL
