A man of many hats Nick Aysseh. Some know him from the Board of Ed or on his children’s PTA, some saw him working the inflatable obstacle course at this weekend’s Family Fun Day but his day job is at Yale New
Haven Hospital Center for Injury and Violence Prevention that focuses on programs that directly help
people including, but not limited to, child passenger safety, bike safety, injury surveillance for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, geriatric fall prevention and a hospital-based violence intervention program. He also helps with Seatbelt Check Events which we did last September and have another planned for this September! Meet a Dad week 3, father of 2, Nick!
Where are you originally from and how long have you been in Fairfield?
I was born and raised in New Canaan and have lived in Fairfield since 2007.
Tell us about your Family!
I am married to my wonderful wife, Christina Bodine Aysseh. We have two elementary
aged kids, a boy and a girl.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I volunteered as a firefighter in high school and when I was in college, I worked 40+
hours a week as a paid firefighter for New Hanover County Fire and Rescue in
Wilmington, NC and also helped run the fire prevention programming in the schools.
One thing you wish someone would have told you about fatherhood?
Your kids will push you to the brink of your sanity at times, but they are often times little
versions of you and will make you appreciate your parents and what you put them
through more than ever.
What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Fairfield?
I love the proximity to the coast and having access to boating and beaches. I love the
water and the accessibility makes it so great for when we aren’t working or in school to
enjoy life.
Best dad hack that makes your life easier?
Use a device like Alexa to set timers for things like bedtime. When the timer goes off the
kids can cancel the timer and know negotiations are over.
Tell us about your job, when & why you decided to start in this field?
I actually have many jobs, LOL. My career and daily job is managing the Yale New
Haven Hospital Center for Injury and Violence Prevention. I first got involved with the
center in 2016 working in car seat safety after volunteering in that field for 12+ years.
After taking the job I developed a passion for work in Public Health, got my Masters in
Public Health and now manage a center that focuses on programs that directly help
people including, but not limited to, child passenger safety, bike safety, injury
surveillance for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, geriatric fall prevention and
a hospital-based violence intervention program.
In addition to my day job, I also own Fairfield Inflatables (where you can rent an epic bounce house, waterslide or obstacle courses), a child safety company called The Car Seat Crew and am a broker in a real
estate firm based in Greenwich with my sister-in-law, Aysseh Real Estate. I am also in
my second 4-year term as an elected volunteer member of the Fairfield Board of
Education and active in my kid’s school PTA.
What do you love about your job? Challenges you face?
For the hospital, I love my team of 10 employees and how we are like a family. The fact
that everyone shows up every day to make a difference in people’s lives makes me love
my work. One of the things I spend a lot of time on is finding revenue streams to support the work we do. It can be challenging but when you are awarded a grant or contract that
supports the mission it is all worth it.
While my wife and I only bought Fairfield inflatables in April of this year, it is already so
much fun. I love how happy people are when we deliver a giant slide, bounce house or
obstacle course and the kids (sometimes adults too) have hours of joy playing on them.
Our biggest challenge is keeping up with demand especially for summer weekends so
we look forward to slowly expanding the business.
If you weren’t working in this industry, what do you think you would be
doing today?
I am not sure what the exact job or business would be but it would definitely be
something service based. I love providing a service and solving problems.
Best advice for dads who experience the inevitable guilt handling a career
and helping support a family?
Try hard to manage your work/life balance. I learned a long time ago; you can make lots
of money, but it doesn’t always make you happy. I always put my family first and make it
a point to attend my kid’s functions and events and be present in their lives. That, to me,
is worth more than any big paycheck. I would rather live modestly and enjoy time with
the ones I love over anything else. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t buy a lottery ticket
here and there.
Who has most influenced you to be the father that you are today?
I lost my father unexpectedly in 2017, but I can honestly say that he was always there
for me growing up. My dad would go to every hockey practice, even at 5am in high
school sleeping in the car while I was in the rink, drive and pick me up from school and
was always there for me. It really helped mold me into the hands-on father I am today.
What advice would you share with a new dad or other dads?
Don’t sweat the small stuff and pick your battles. There will be more good times than
bad. Your kids will generally be good for others and when you hear what angels they are
just know you did something right even if it seems like devil horns come out of them on
the regular when they’re with just you at home.
We love supporting local businesses – favorite places in Fairfield to…
Have Dinner with Family: Luigis, Centro, Riko’s, Flipside
Have a Date Night: Match in Sono, Molto, Brickwalk Tavern
Spend time together as a Family: Not local but we love trips to Bronx zoo and Mystic
Outside Activities: We love to go out on our boat
Grab coffee: The Pantry