When you meet Geoffrey Ravenhill, you might not assume English is his second language. He looks, well, 100% American. When you get to know him you discover he’s well-educated, well-traveled, well-connected, and he’s simply a great guy.
Geoffrey is our CEO tasked with guiding HofArc’s management team. Learn more about Geoffrey, a great guy who’s helping HofArc deliver quality, adventure, and laughter.

HofArc: Who is Geoffrey Ravenhill?

Geoffrey: I was born and raised in the Ivory Coast, West Africa, where my parents were working as anthropologists. My mom was born there, as well. When I was 11, we moved to Washington DC where my father became the Chief Curator of the Smithsonian’s new African Art Museum. A fun fact is that French is my first language. I didn’t learn to read and write English until I was 11 when I was an ESL (English as a Second Language) student.
From age 11 to 18 I lived in DC and am proud to say that I went to DC public schools. I then moved north for college where I attended the University of Rhode Island. At URI I earned a marine biology degree and minored in International Development.

I knew I wanted to spend time overseas so I looked into the Peace Corps. Eventually, I decided to working directly with a nonprofit in the Philippines that was working with fishing communities with the mission to encourage local fishermen to stop fishing with cyanide and dynamite. Our job was to teach the fisherman less destructive and more eco-friendly ways to catch fish while creating a sustainable livelihood and community development programs. We also fostered eco-tourism projects to benefit the local fishing communities and developed a coral farming project to restore damaged reefs and ocean ecosystems.

HofArc: You have lots of worldly experiences, how did this all come about?

Geoffrey: After a year and half in the Philippines, I thought I wanted a PhD, so I moved to San Diego and got a job at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography as a resident marine technician. This position required that I spend about six months a year at sea, working on very large oceanographic research vessels, doing all sorts of fascinating research. Think Jacques Cousteau or Steve Zissou in the Life Aquatic movie.

In the four years that I worked at Scripps, I travelled thousands of miles across every ocean and saw the world like I never could have imagined. I am blessed to say that I’ve been to all seven continents and have visited almost half of the countries around the globe. The world gave me the best education I could have ever dreamed of… I met fascinating people, witnessed unbelievable sites, surfed tons of incredible spots, and visited distant ports in all corners of this incredible world.

HofArc: This sounds amazing! So why did you turn into a landlover, again?

Geoffrey: This was all good and fine to do in my mid-20s, but as I approached my 30s I realized that a PhD in marine biology was no longer my desire and that I instead wanted to focus on the confluence of business and social change, so I moved to Santa Barbara and got an MBA at UCSB. It only took a year for me to realize that I wanted to stay. It was love at first sight with Santa Barbara.

To focus on effecting social change through business I started a financial and strategic development consulting firm for small businesses and nonprofits to help them grow in efficiency, efficacy and impact.
I soon met Wally and Matthew and fell in love with their HofArc mission. I decided I wanted to be involved, and they made me a part of the team.

HofArc: What do you do for fun?

Geoffrey: I know one thing I don’t do — I’ve never owned a TV. I try to spend as much time as possible outside. My obsessive passion is surfing. I am drawn to saltwater. Santa Barbara and Ventura have some of the best waves in the world. I’m also scuba certified for advanced open water, and rescue diving. I’ve done hundreds of dives and seen some fantastically wild parts of our underwater world. I also started a nonprofit in 2005 with my brother and sister to build traditional wooden boats with kids on an island up in Maine. Check out Islesford Boatworks for all the details and fun times. My siblings and I go back to Maine every summer for a few weeks to build a boat. This past summer we had over 50 kids and another 30 adults that worked together to build a beautiful boat.

The Hofmann’s lifestyle and passion for inspiring young people is very compatible with mine. We’re adventure-seekers in business, recreation and life. We love building things and having crazy adventures.
Just this past July, we had a blast sailing to Catalina Island for Matthew’s birthday weekend. We scuba dove, swam, and danced the night away. It was a blast! It’s a good life.

HofArc: What do you like best about living in Santa Barbara?

Geoffrey: I guess I have to go back to my previous point, Santa Barbara’s waves and beaches are the best in the world. There is incredible hiking and camping. The best part is the year-round Mediterranean climate really allows one to be outside year ‘round. You can get lost in the mountains in the morning and be riding the waves in the afternoon, all within minutes of your house. It’s a pretty perfect spot to call home.

HofArc: What do you do for HofArc?

Geoffrey: This company is seeing rapid growth so I’ve jumped on board with both feet to help guide the team to the next phase. I work with the managers to ensure that our product and service are the very best they can be. I assist Matthew and Wally with the strategic development of HofArc. I also set-up and manage the exclusive dealership for HofArc, called Hofmann Classics. This is a California DMV-licensed vehicle dealership for buying and selling vintage trailers. We’ve have some exciting plans coming that we’ll be announcing after the first of the New Year. We’ve also added key members to the team and the future looks bright… or should I say, “shinny?”

HofArc: How did you meet Matthew and Wally?

Geoffrey: A few years ago, a mutual friend introduced me to Matthew while we were working out at a local rock climbing gym. I met Wally soon afterwards at one of his birthday parties. It seems like he has two or three every year!

It was immediately clear that they have a knack for inviting people into their lives and made me feel like family. I was drawn into their world, I jumped right in, and soon became part of the family. Wally’s just like my grandfather — just kidding, Wally! You’re more like my uncle or big brother!

HofArc: What’s it like working at HofArc?

Geoffrey: There’s a certain culture at HofArc that you don’t find at other companies. I really enjoy the way HofArc feels like a family. You can see it in the guys and gals in the office and the yard. We are so stoked to work together that it seems that many would probably even pay to work here — I know I would. There’s a lot of joking around, work lunch barbecues, friendly camaraderie, and sincere personal support when something goes sideways in our lives. You have different guys and gals, of all ages and backgrounds, who treat each other like brothers and sisters.

Add this feeling to all the good work that’s getting done, and it adds up to a good balance. We make a good products that our clients find a great deal of pleasure in owning. I know I’ll never get tired of the smiles I see on our clients’ faces.