⏱️2-Minute Break with … Raffy Ouzounian

See for yourself. 👀

Editor’s Note: I met Raffy Ouzounian when he commented on 2-Minute Break. After trading comments, I asked for an interview; but he didn’t think he had anything interesting to say. I gave him a challenge: let me do the interview, and if he didn’t strike me as compelling, I’d scrap the story. I think you know how this ended. -CJ

⏱Raffy Ouzounian is family man who lives in Ohio and works as a Sr. Analyst for Revenue Assurance Organization. A self-professed data geek, he loves science and technology, but wonders about its effect on society, of late. Outdoorsy and mechanically inclined, he speaks three languages and loves a good challenge.

Here’s what he had to say.

🥄 I hear you’re obsessed with spoons.

I’m a spoon guy; I use them for almost every meal. If I end up in a place that doesn’t have them, like Chipotle, I’ll just bring my own.

🎂 Your mom recently had a landmark birthday?

That’s right. She turned 100 years old earlier this year and lives in a nursing home in Montreal, Quebec.

🍁And that’s where you’re from?

Yes, I grew up in Canada. My wife is from Wisconsin. We moved to the U.S. for career opportunities so our children were born in Canada but raised in the States.

🥐 Do you speak French?

Yes, and Armenian, my mother tongue. I didn’t teach my daughters, but my oldest just gave birth to our first grandchild, so maybe I’ll be the French-speaking grand-père.

💸 What do you do in Revenue Assurance?

We make sure we’re billing accurately. Too much means overcharging; too little leaves money on the table. It’s a complex job with all the variables, but we don’t just push things through—we fix the issues.

🧮 Were you always interested in math?

My father was a math teacher, so math and science were part of my upbringing. I studied engineering at McGill University, then transitioned into tech. I’m a data nerd.

📱Android or iPhone?

Android. My whole family has iPhones, but I stick with my Google Pixel 3.

🚗 What do you do for fun?

I love to fix cars. That might be an understatement, because the last time I walked in the auto parts store, all three employees simultaneously greeted me by name. I felt like Norm from Cheers!

🚲 Anything else?

Bicycling is also a passion of mine. I’m not hardcore but I like to just go out, self-propelled. I like organized rides too. There’s an event in Wichita Falls, Texas called “Hotter N’ Hell”—a 100-mile race in August heat. Some racers even swallow a sensor that sends their body temperature to researchers. I didn’t do that, though—it was a little too big for me to swallow!

🛷 Favorite movie?

Disney’s Cool Runnings about the Jamaican bobsled team. I have Jamaican friends and their accents are just music to my ears.

🛠️ Do you volunteer?

I do. I volunteer at a garage where we teach teenagers auto repair skills.

💪What a great skill to learn.

It’s very hands-on. They get to put the cars in the lift, see all the components, change the oil. I really get a kick out of the young ladies. They fly through work that stumps the boys. Stereotype shattered!

🔮 What does the future look like for you?

I’m just putting up the sails and seeing where the wind takes me.

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