About Adam Don

Adam Don was born in 1969, the youngest of three children. From an early age, he had a twinkle in his eye that reflected equal parts joie de vivre and mischief.

Adam attended the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and The Silver Spurs, a service and spirit honor society that cares for the University of Texas mascot and engages in philanthropy on campus and in the greater Austin community. He graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in accounting.

Upon graduation, he moved to Dallas to work for KMPG, then one of the "Big 8" accounting firms. Two years later, he joined the accounting department at Eljer Industries a plumbing fixtures company.

With sufficient experience at other companies, Adam was ready to join Edward Don & Company, the family owned food service equipment and supplies business founded in 1921. Adam began as a commissioned salesman with a territory in Dallas. He later joined the National Account team where his charm and charisma served him especially well.

Though he had many close ties in Texas, Adam eagerly accepted the challenge of building Edward Don & Company's presence on the West Coast. In 1999, he moved to Santa Monica, opened the first West Coast distribution center, and began building a sales team. Within just five years, the West Coast team had outgrown its first distribution center. Adam and his team opened a new state-of-the-art distribution center in 2004. Adam also helped build West Coast-based customer and vendor relationships and was respected for his combination of business acumen and humor in both communities.

As a natural athlete, Adam adapted quickly to the southern California lifestyle. He excelled at baseball, scuba diving, skiing and golf. He enjoyed rollerblading on the Santa Monica boardwalk and mountain biking in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains.

Adam regularly amused his companions with his dry sarcastic wit. He was also a gifted mimic and his repertoire included friends, colleagues, and characters from popular culture. He was rarely without female companionship but was unmarried when he died in a mountain bike accident at age 35. Shortly after his death in 2005, he was posthumously awarded the "Outstanding Achievement Award" by Edward Don & Company. The award has since been renamed The Adam Don Outstanding Achievement Award and is given annually to a member of the Edward Don & Company sales force.