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David Bulitt

Featured Article

A Few of My Favorite Things

Four High-Powered Career Men Share What They Most Enjoy Outside of Working

Article by Lauri Gross

Photography by Jack Hartzman

Originally published in Potomac Lifestyle

David Bulitt, Author, Attorney and Principal at Joseph, Greenwald and Laake

For David, this Father’s Day will most likely combine all of his favorite things: his family, his dog, his truck and his bourbon. Perfection. Along with his wife, Julie, David has four adult daughters and three grandchildren. And, he has Frank– a six-year-old golden retriever who David considers his best friend who never strays far from his side (David concedes he cannot bring Frank into the courtroom). His convertible Jeep Commander in snazzberry red also makes David happy. “I drive it every day,” he says. “I have the top down, even in the middle of winter. People think I’m crazy. Frank is in the back seat and it's just fun to drive.” And then there’s his bourbon. As an avid Bourbon fan for the last 20 years, David says his favorite bourbon is whatever he's having at the moment. From Bethany Beach to Kentucky, Nashville and Austin, David enjoys discovering new places to share his favorite drink with his favorite people. 

Bob Collins, Co-CIO, Managing Director, and founder of the Collins Investment Group, a division of XML Financial Group 

When Bob was in his 30s, and a self-described “upcoming young wealth advisor,” he convinced his wife, Beth, that “plunking down the money to get in the door at the Four Streams Golf Club in Beallsville, would be good for my career.” He adds, “That was in 1997 and it worked out really well. My passion for golf strengthened and my network of friends and clients developed. This led me to the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida,” Bob adds, as he explains that he “floats between Maryland; Bethany Beach, Delaware; and Hobe Sound, Florida." Then, last fall, after 10 days of golf at Ireland’s Doonbeg Club, Bob and two friends decided to become members there too, solidifying golf as one of Bob’s favorite distractions from work. As of last November, however, Bob’s number-one favorite distraction is Maisyn Marvaso, his first grandchild. “It’s a really cool thing,” he says of becoming a grandparent. Maisyn lives in South Carolina, and Bob and Beth visit about once a month (not including frequent virtual visits via FaceTime.) In addition, as a very committed philanthropist, Bob regularly supports and has made meaningful donations to Adoptions Together, a group he has been involved with for many years. “It’s not a typical adoption agency,” he says “They do a lot more. The more I got involved, the more I fell in love with it.”

Michael Faerber, Managing Partner at McMillian Metro PC Law Firm

A visit to Michael’s office reveals that, in addition to being good at lawyering, the man loves baseball. If you doubt it, the shelf of nodding bobbleheads confirms that it’s true. The den in his home reveals, however, that the shelf in the office is just the beginning. There, visitors marvel at two game-used bases from the Nationals’ 2019 world-series run, jerseys bearing the autographs of Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon, plus signed bats and baseballs and more bobbleheads. “I’ve been a season-ticket holder since day one, sitting behind the plate in 2005,” Michael says. Of his three grown kids, his daughter is the biggest baseball fan and Michael still enjoys games with her. His sons prefer instead to join Michael at concerts, since music is another of Michael’s favorite distractions. A musician in college, Michael hasn’t picked up his trumpet since law school but his enduring love of music means he’ll happily travel locally or to other states to see his favorite bands, especially when his sons join him. With his wife, Michael might be seen shopping for kayaks since they recently bought a home on the marshy salt pond of Bethany Beach with its own kayak launch and a backyard on the water. The area makes great subject matter for Michael’s other hobby: photography. Describing himself as a “very amateur photographer,” he says he’s been taking photos for years. “We take a lot of hikes on the beach and in the marshes and it’s been amazing for taking photos,” he says, but don’t expect him to display his images, unless, maybe, if he starts taking photos at Nats’ games.

Steve Oram, Principal at Oram & Moss

Before having lunch with his friend Mark Lerner, managing principal owner of the Washington Nationals, Steve checks in with his grandson. “I call my grandson Weston for insight on the Nats, so I know what I’m talking about,” laughs Steve. All four of Steve’s grandchildren, plus his two grown children and his wife of nearly 50 years are the first things he mentions when asked about his passions outside of his law firm. He also mentions golf and his Jaguar but then he focuses on three life-changing internships from his youth, where he learned important job skills. “With that kind of internship experience, you would have to be hardened to the world to not want to give back,” he says and adds, “I’m a softy.” So, 16 years ago, Steve created the Give Back to Utica Fund which sponsors an annual essay contest for high-school seniors in Steve’s native Utica, New York. Five winners are awarded a full-time paid internship at area non-profits and small businesses. In addition, Steve sits on the board of a client’s family foundation, which has given millions to hospitals in the DMV. Of course, Steve does not collect a fee for any of this work. Instead, he says, “I get a fee in my heart.”

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