Phi Kappa Psi - The Ohio State University

The Buckeye Phi Psi 2 n Visit http://ohiodelta.com to stay current with the Chapter. Let Us Hear from You! hare your personal, professional, and family news with us, and we'll print it in the alumni news section of the Buckeye Phi Psi! Are you planning a get-together or pledge class reunion? Let us know that as well. You don't need a special form; just jot down a few words about yourself and send to Phi Kappa Psi, Ohio Delta Company, 47 East 16th Ave., Columbus, OH 43201 or via e-mail to fahey252@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you soon! S GreG Wittstock '89 Values His PHi Psi MeMbersHiP An Open Letter to the Ohio Delta Chapter oing Greek was far from my mind when I enrolled at OSU in the fall of 1988. Despite my mother's pleas to rush—she was a Kappa Alpha Theta at OSU—I had no interest. I wasn't into partying and that's all I thought a fraternity was. Thankfully my RA, Eric Fisher '85, asked me to come play flag football with his fraternity. I was into sports so I said sure. Being from Illinois I didn't know anyone so it was nice to connect with some guys through sports. One thing led to another and I found myself at the Phi Psi house "partying," which was more like hanging out with 80 cool dudes than anything else. I enjoyed myself so much I pledged in the spring of 1989. Being a pledge and working to become a Phi Psi and a part of something reminded me of being part of my high school football team. I loved everything about it! To understand who I am today and what I do for a living I need to take you back to my youth. When I was a kid I loved nothing more than spending my time outdoors and catching turtles, fish, and frogs. When I was 12, my parents told me we were moving from our lakefront home in New Jersey to the flat barren cornfields of Wheaton, Illinois. I was not too happy, but my parents promised me I could bring 11 of my pet turtles with me. The second day I was in my new home I began building my first pond. That first pond leaked, turned green, and even my prize turtles migrated away. Undaunted I ripped it out and rebuilt it each and every summer. That first pond became my classroom where I experimented with different filters and construction techniques. Neighbors, friends, and eventually acquaintances who visited our yard all remarked how beautiful it was. I thought there had to be an opportunity here, so I started my business, Aquascape, the summer of my junior year to earn some money and have some fun. After a few years of building ponds, I was granted a patent for my filtration system. In 1995, a year after graduation (it took me six years to graduate as I was growing my own business) I started supplying other landscape contractors and garden centers with the very same products I used. That was my big break and the company grew fast and furious, eventually making the Inc. Magazine list of top 500 fastest growing privately held companies four years in a row from 1998 through 2001. I've employed a number of Phi Psis over the years and still fondly recall my brothers who were more than eager to help me in my start-up, just happy to be earning some beer money. I didn't stay very close to Ohio Delta after graduation, but I did stay in touch with a number of my Brothers from back in the day, including one very prominent Phi Psi. James Lyle Miller '85 was a fifth-year senior when I was a freshman and really took me under his wing in a relationship we maintain to this day. My involvement with the Fraternity wasn't a lot but ramped back up in 2004. Brother Jerry Nelson, California Epsilon '47, who founded the American Leadership Academy in Cabo San Lucas, asked me to speak to the undergraduates who attended his leadership training. I was hooked by what incredible opportunities the ALA provided the students, and I've been on the ALA board and reconnected with Phi Psi ever since! Aquascape, like many businesses, experienced a downturn with the economy in 2008. For the first time ever I had to manage a business that was shrinking rather than growing. I learned a lot more about myself and, in particular, my team surviving the economic downturn. For starters, I never appreciated what I had built until I was threatened with losing it. Every day I went to work realizing I was blessed to be doing my life's work. The greatest learning I gained was how I couldn't do it alone. I needed every last teammate to help pull us through it. I will be forever grateful for the incredible teammates I always had, but never really appreciated until our backs were against the wall together. We've weathered the storm and have even just recently landed our own reality TV series based on our exploits as pond builders. We are currently filming and will premiere this fall. The name and network are under wraps but stay tuned for when it finally airs! I'm blessed to be married to my best friend, have two great sons, and love to spend the summers at our lake house in Wisconsin. I tell anyone and everyone the best decision I ever made in my first 18 years was joining Phi Psi. I not only became part of a brotherhood during college, but I've continued it to this day with my role at the American Leadership Academy. I've met Phi Psi Brothers from every campus and I believe the bond is as strong today as it ever was. I stay in touch with not only my Brothers from Ohio Delta, but those I meet from across the country with the ALA through Facebook. Whenever I go back to Columbus I love visiting the undergraduates at the Chapter House, which looks incredible. I've even become close to the Phi Psis at Northern Illinois University, who use Aqualand for recruitment and brotherhood events. I owe a lot to Phi Psi, and it's an honor to still be included with what's going on with the Fraternity today. Fraternally, Greg Wittstock '89 G Aquascape's worldwide corporate headquarters located 50 miles west of Chicago in St. Charles, IL.

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