NORWALK, Conn. When Kyle Foster closes the office at the end of the day and heads home to his son, stepson and fiance, he knows the measure of success. He sees it in their smiles and his hopes and dreams.
Money doesn't make you happy. It makes getting material things easier, that's all, Foster says in the offices at Affordable Self Storage. He's been with the company for 10 years, the last six as the general manager. He says Affordable Self Storage is one of the few facilities in the area that caters to landscaping and construction companies by offering enough space for their equipment and materials.
Foster's parents left the South Bronx, N.Y., when he was 4 years old. They came to Norwalk looking to keep their son away from the dangers of crack cocaine and gang violence. Parts of New York City just weren't places you wanted to be in the 1980s, Foster says, reflecting on his parents' decision.
Growing up, he said Norwalk felt like the country to him. But Foster never regretted leaving the city. Now he hopes that as a father, he makes the right choices for his family and keeps his kids from experiencing those hardships. They will never know that life, says Foster. My parents did better for us, and I want to do better for them. I'll always strive to give them a better life. Whatever they choose to do in life I just want them to be successful.
Success in this case is happiness. Foster says several times that money is a vehicle to help get things but not the end goal. But he appreciates some of those goals. A self-proclaimed car-guy, Foster considers his Mercedes E500 a third child.
The thing that drives me is to provide for my family, says Foster. There are a lot of people that just aren't there for their kids. I want to be there.
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