Growing up, Karim and I had little in common. I was the straitlaced “perfect student,” while my little brother was the first to get a bar of soap in his mouth. I was better at baseball, but he was a much better soccer player and fisherman. And while I would engross myself in a novel, he would be lifting weights like his idol Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In our twenties, I gravitated toward big cities, while Karim loved Santa Barbara’s small-town vibe and decided to stay put after UCSB, working as a bartender while figuring out the right career for an “anthropology major.” But he knew he wanted to make a good living and not work for anybody else.
When Karim shared his idea for Axxess with me, I was skeptical. He had no real business experience and, I chided, didn’t even know how to spell “access.” Nevertheless, Karim and his friend Nate Williams launched Santa Barbara Axxess in 1999 and spent the next few years convincing business owners to give their idea a chance.
When Nate decided to become a firefighter, Karim was determined to forge ahead. He put in long hours talking to merchants, dropping off Axxess books at schools, and marketing the program to the community. But connecting with people every day never felt like “work” to him.
I remember coming to Santa Barbara for the Axxess 10-year anniversary party. Karim practically glowed as he proudly celebrated the milestone with his friends, clients, and co-workers. As his big brother, I couldn’t help but be impressed. He had clearly taught himself how to be an entrepreneur, learning by doing, rather than sitting in a grad school classroom.
Walking down State Street with Karim was like getting a personal tour from the mayor, as we would run into a client or friend every 10 yards. He would share a laugh or ask about their business, treating them like partners. He also loved his team at Axxess, leading them with kindness while also setting high but achievable goals.
Over the next several years, I watched Axxess grow into a trusted Santa Barbara fixture, supporting more than 1,500 participating merchants with 75,000 members and dozens of employees. The company also raised nearly $4 million for Santa Barbara schools in the process and won Goleta’s Finest Community Business of the Year in 2011 and the S.B. Chamber’s Small Business of the Year in 2014. Clearly, I had underestimated Karim’s drive, work ethic, and passion to do good for his community.
Karim continued to surprise my sister and me. He was the first of us to buy a home, to get married (to Monica Bloch), and to start a family (daughter Sierra and son Devin). Karim loved his life in Santa Barbara — running along the Riviera, then stopping in for coffee at Peet’s before heading to Axxess HQ. And he was a great dad, cheering for Devin at his baseball and soccer games and applauding the loudest for Sierra when she played bass guitar in her band.
One of the things I admired most about Karim was his ability to work hard and play hard. He lived life to the fullest and had more friends, fun, and adventure in his 49 years than many of us do in a lifetime. Even when a benign brain tumor took the hearing in his right ear, Karim never let this setback slow him down or ruin his upbeat, positive outlook. He summited Mt. Kilimanjaro with Monica on their honeymoon, learned to sail on a yacht in the Caribbean, backpacked through the Sierras with friends frequently, and traveled all over the world with his family. Despite his asthma, he ran marathons, played on a rugby team, and loved working out. He was also active in the community as a United Way board member and Rotary Club member.
His can-do spirit motivated him and Monica to relocate their family to Costa Rica during the pandemic, where he could spend his days working remotely in flip-flops and board shorts while learning to surf in his free time. He loved driving his dune buggy down bumpy roads with his kids, jogging down the beach, or enjoying a beer and some reggae while watching the sunset. He went on surf trips with buddies and explored Panama and Nicaragua with his family. He even splurged to see Taylor Swift in concert with Sierra (which he said was “worth every penny” because he had never seen his daughter so happy). He was living his best life.
Though we were very different as kids, we grew into adults who respected one another and rooted for the other’s success. I couldn’t be more impressed by the big man my little brother became nor be more grateful to have shared our bond of brotherhood for almost 50 years. His sudden, tragic death broke the hearts of so many friends, colleagues, and family who knew him and, therefore, loved him. Though we will miss him deeply, we will also cherish the laughter, joy, and memories he gave us all.
You must be logged in to post a comment.