Employee Spotlight: Ryan Rivas

On the stage and in the sky 

By: Allie Shane, Communications Specialist

From playing bass guitar in a pop-punk band to flying planes across the Midwest, member engagement manager Ryan Rivas sure knows how to fill his time with fascinating hobbies. 
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Rivas began his musical journey in the fifth grade when his father encouraged him to learn how to play the trumpet. As high school approached, he found he was less interested in playing for the school band and more so inspired by the sounds of bands like Blink-182. 

“On a whim after seeing Blink-182 for the first time in 2000, I told my parents that I wanted to start taking bass lessons,” said Rivas.  ​​

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Today he plays bass guitar in a band named Gold Steps. The group of five musicians performs a combination of covers and original pop-punk pieces at local establishments, frequenting X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy. Gold Steps has taken the stage two years in a row at Summerfest and Summer Soulstice, both popular Milwaukee music festivals.
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Rivas shared that his most memorable performances were those spent on a Summerfest stage. 
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“Growing up, that is where I first saw Blink-182 and all the bands that got me into music. So playing at the same festival where they played is really cool,” he said.  
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When Rivas isn’t jamming out onstage, he is up in the sky.  
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As a child, Rivas and his family took a vacation to Disney World.  
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“That was the first time I remember being on a plane and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” Rivas said.  ​

His interest in planes stayed with him throughout his childhood as he watched movies like Top Gun and assembled model airplanes. 

​When Rivas reached his senior year of high school, he took his first introductory flight lesson. The lessons continued into college, and he received his private pilot’s license. ​​

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Rivas recalled his first solo flight. “The second I took off, I just thought to myself ‘Woah, there’s nobody here to help me, and I have to land this thing by myself’…The landing wasn’t pretty,” he joked. 

Rivas’s passion for flying remains strong even as he works a full-time job and dedicates time to Gold Steps. He currently takes lessons at a flight school based out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. 
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Rivas received his instrument rating in July, an additional rating on top of his private pilot license that allows him to fly in poor weather conditions and low visibility. He is now working toward obtaining his commercial rating.  
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Rivas has flown to several Midwest locations including Minneapolis, Decorah, Door County and Chicago.  ​