Meet Paul Acosta

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul Acosta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Paul, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re very focused on here – improving our ability to make decisions. Everyday, we’re faced with decisions that can impact the future of our careers, businesses, relationships and more and so one of the most impactful areas for personal development, in our view, is decision-making. Can you talk to us about how you developed or improved your decision-making skills?

I was raised in a family of seven children, so decisions had to come fast and live with your consequences. As I grew older, the military helped me become an even stronger decision maker because every decision made was important to any and all missions daily. When I joined the volunteer fire department here in Brush, decisions became life and death, and I felt that making simple choices in life was much easier. Even when I was promoted to Chief of the department, decisions had to be made with utmost urgency, and you had to take that and share with your officer core and let them know why. This in turn really helped them become better officers who would eventually replace me as I grew older. But being a storm chaser has evolved me to become very efficient because you have to think of all your ways out of the environment and have four escape routes just in case things go bad. I have instilled this in my team, and we are always, “checking our six,” and make sure that we are as safe as possible. The more we chase the better we get, and we find ourselves asking what we could have done better so the next time we are even more prepared. Because of this we have really stepped up to the challenge as decision makers.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

We are a group of storm chasers that focus on Northeast Colorado, Western Kansas, and the Panhandle of Nebraska. Our goal is to spread the word when there are dangerous storms in the area. Whether is thunderstorms in the Spring or heavy snow in the winter we are out there to help keep the public informed. If there is a weather watch or warning, we want to educate the public as much as possible to help them be prepared rather than scared.

I started storm chasing 40 years ago when I was 16 years-old coming home from a science show in high school and was caught in a hailstorm that produced baseball size hail. From that moment on, I was hooked, and I started watching all of the Weather Channel documentaries and learning more about weather. I took storm spotter classes and then eventually took the SkyWarn class and passed the test. I raised my sons on how to read the clouds and took them on chases as well. I feel I should’ve become a meteorologist instead of a teacher. Being a volunteer firefighter, we were always called out to respond for weather incidents so that just fueled my passion.

When we started the company, we were known as Big Dawg and Sons because only me and my three sons started chasing. We started with the hope of reaching 1000 followers and as of the day of this story we are at 15,500 followers, far exceeding our expectations as a small-town business. Eventually, we added three of other friends and changed our name to Big Dawg Northeast Colorado Storm Chasers. Now we take photos and videos and share them out with news agencies. We also share weather reports with the National Weather Service to help them get the warnings out quicker. It’s known as a storm spotter, and we have a direct phone line with them or one of our members uses his HAM radio to notify the weather service even quicker.

We now have four sponsors and share our weather updates as often as possible and help our fans prepared for an indoor or outdoor events they have planned. We generally get right under the developing tornado and show the public from the safety of their phone, tablet or computer. We are able to generate income to help fuel the fleet by receiving Stars, Facebook advertising and our monthly sponsors. In the winter, we will live stream our, “Live Drive,” that way people have an idea of the road conditions.

We hoped it would generate a profit but for the most part we use our own money to fulfill the safety of the public. As we continue to grow, we will be able to make a profit to help pay the team for their time. The thing I most like about this job is the thrill of the chase on a tornadic storm. Getting inside and seeing the tornado develop is just a full steam of adrenaline and it just makes me want to come back for more!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Most impactful to me was gaining the knowledge and taking the courses and learning how weather develops and knowing how to safely get in and out of the danger.
Secondly, really understanding how to read a map and becoming familiar with all types of road surfaces because a dirt road can become super muddy and a wet highway could feel like icy conditions because of hydroplaning.
Finally, my background in firefighting and EMS makes me feel safer and gives me the ability to help others who may be affected by a tornado and need rescued or given first aid treatment. As a CPR instructor, I push to make sure more are certified to help others.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Not only has the Lord help me get through the challenges of life and the business, but having my wife, Teresa, at my side has given me an opportunity to become a stronger person. I would also say having the current team on board has made us even more successful. Austin, who helps keep the business afloat. Abe, who handles all of the social media and helping our cliental. Freddie, who’s name alone stands out as one of the best in storm chasing. It takes a TEAM to run the ship and currently we are floating nice and smooth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bigdawgwx.com
• Instagram: @bigdawgwx
• Facebook: Big Dawg NE Colorado Storm Chasers
• Twitter: @BigDawgWx
• Youtube: Big Dawg NE Colorado Storm Chasers
• Other: TikTok @bigdawgwx

Image Credits

Credits to Austin Acosta – Big Dawg NE Colorado Storm Chasers
Credits to Andrew Acosta – Big Dawg NE Colorado Storm Chasers
Credits to Paul Acosta – Big Dawg NE Colorado Storm Chasers
Credits to Abraham Sandy – Big Dawg NE Colorado Storm Chasers