At Monarch our slogan “Outpacing Parkinson’s” shapes absolutely every action we undertake and every fund we distribute. We believe transparency and knowledge are two fundamental aspects of achieving of that goal.
Throughout his life Brad Hurley has found solace in following his own path. That path is often carved by his love of both athletic competition and constructing everything from Legos to his own furniture to massively complicated e-commerce websites.
Growing up in Devon, Pennsylvania Brad learned from an early age that he had an aptitude for building. He often assembled ludicrously reckless ramps for he and his brother Michael to launch themselves off of on their skateboards and BMX bikes.
Athletic endeavors also caught his attention, and he obtained a taste for football. He achieved notable success as he was named an All-District center during his time at suburban Philadelphia’s Conestoga High School. While playing football he began his first forays into weightlifting, which sparked an obsession that has sustained itself to this day.
After graduating from Cabrini College in 2001, Brad began his career working for a start-up company in the booming mortgage industry. After five years he soon discovered his true calling in web development. So in 2006, he joined GSI, an e-commerce company that built websites for retailers around the country. Web giant eBay acquired GSI in 2011, and throughout these years Brad worked with prestigious clients such as GNC, Ralph Lauren and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
In 2013, Brad left eBay in order to create a new venture in which he would have an ownership stake. Along with three partners, he formed Reactor Labs LLC which consummated contracts with major clients Guggenheim Partners and Uniqlo. In 2015, he left Reactor Labs and formed Scipio his new individually owned web-based technology company.
Brad had noticed that over the past five or six years the shaking in his right hand had escalated from a weird quirk into a impactful hindrance to his motor skills. From a combination of fear and apathy he had avoided getting the problem checked out, but now it seemed unavoidable.
At 37, after consultations from five separate doctors and the chemical confirmation of a DaTscan, he finally submitted to the fact that he indeed suffered from the Parkinson’s Disease. An undoubtedly life-changing revelation, but one from which he eschewed any passive submission to by deciding to actively confront this new enemy. Relying heavily upon his athletic background and do-it-yourself nature he built an ever-adapting routine of exercise, supplements and alternative treatments that aims to improve the quality of his every day life.
When he faced with the biggest challenge of his relatively short life he once again relied on these passions to guide his actions, and subsequently he decided to found something that he hopes will significantly impact people and create a legacy that will last long beyond his years on this planet.
The Monarch Foundation is Brad’s way of combining his passions of athletics and construction into something that transcends himself and ignites his passions. Using his extensive professional background and knowledge and marrying that with a passion for discovering a cure for Parkinson’s Brad is building an organization built to sustain the long and arduous fight against PD. By utilizing Scipio’s profits to fund the functional costs of Monarch he has revitalized his passion for his career. He has tied his professional success with something much deeper than superficial achievements, and into a deeply noble and personal cause.
