FINDING GOLD JOSEPH “JR” CROSS

He’s a man on a mission…

“My other PCar interests? A 1974 Porsche 914. I really love light midengine Porsches. I want to take up surfing one day and the Targa top is perfect for a surfboard. I just imagine heading back from the beach at 8:30 am on weekday mornings with my board on the passenger side, rolling through each gear to redline, while still being at legal speeds. Enjoying the symphony of mechanical sounds while absorbing the morning sun. It’s the most righteous way to start the day. . .”

Our Kassette FINDING GOLD member feature this month is a young man pursuing goals. A simple key to achieving goals is visualizing them. Joseph “JR” Cross Jr. has visualized his plan. The quote above is his, and this goal is one of many that he holds dear to his heart.

JR and his wife, Anastasia, lived in Miami along the river, renting an apartment. Married for over two years, they added to the family in 2021 with a son, Joseph Fabian Cross III. Joseph Cross III is known as “Trey” for pretty obvious reasons. Trey recently turned 20 months old. He is a rambunctious lad. It’s fun to watch him scamper across the screen on JR’s many Facebook posts. Trey is enthusiastic, energetic, and cute. The family also enjoys frequent visits from Avia Cross, JR’s 9-year-old daughter. She has a smile that will light up any room and has the kindest of hearts. Avia was initially afraid of the revving flat-6 engine, telling her father how it was unnecessary to go fast. After one ride though, she caught the spirit: leaning over she asked her dad discretely to punch it again.

The area along the Miami River is more suitable to a single lifestyle, or that of a young couple, sans kids. With a growing family in a smallish and relatively costly Miami apartment, it was another goal to move into a place they owned that they could call home. JR, Anastasia, and Trey are working toward this goal.

Given the highly expensive and volatile housing market, they moved from Miami into a condominium in Homestead, FL. The plan is to sit tight for a year and reassess, with the objective to purchase a home. JR is like that, setting his objectives. His friends are now waiting for the

Member Feature by Mark Johnson

housewarming party but he’s not so certain that such a party would be appropriate for a rental condo. But why not? It’s a move in the right direction. JR claims to be a be conservative on the issue and perhaps a bit embarrassed. Nonetheless, friends are always welcome!

JR Cross, Jr. was born in Riverside, California. After seven years in the state, the road led the Cross family to Virginia Beach, VA. He grew up next to Naval Air Station Oceana. The base is the Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base, home to F/A-18 Super Hornets. His father worked with database management for top U.S. defense contract companies and had a family business known as General Database Company.

JR’s basic information technology (IT) education came at the “School of Dad.” Cross Sr. taught JR about info tech and young JR starting building computers at age 9. He then created his first website at age 12. The site was www. porscheunleashed.netfirms.com (We kid you not – it was a very early personal predisposition to the Porsche marque.) This was in 1998 when a website could be hosted for free with a banner ad. He used a program called Microsoft Frontpage and studied how to “FTP” (File Transfer Protocol) and developed the website. He also worked in the family tech business and used the experience to obtain his first professional position as a help desk technician at nineteen years of age.

JR seeking his own path, relocated to Michigan for greater career opportunities. In the Great Lake state, he worked at the University of Michigan, Domino’s Pizza Corporation, Apple, and several other organizations, all while developing his information technology expertise. His combined length of duty in Michigan came to eight years.

Eventually, this path turned south to Florida in 2019. In Florida JR met Anastasia through an online dating application. This introduction was key to their relationship as Anastasia was born and raised in the Siberia region of Russia. It’s a small world after all.

His current employer is FlexOffers. JR has been a Solutions Architect for the past three years. IT is a very broad area of computer technology, so we’ll leave it to JR to explain what he does. We suspect that he is a very valued and respected associate, given his vast experience in the field.

Being good at his profession has allowed JR to acquire and enjoy seven Porsche vehicles over the years. His initial foray into PCar was a “very lovely” 944. As a hands-on guy, JR has filmed and produced close to eighty (80) instructional videos which teach viewers most anything they need to know about the 944.

His YouTube channel (FC Imports) has over two thousand subscribers and offers everyone a reason for “why Porsche,” and how not to be afraid to work on your own car. He initially had no skills as a Porsche repairman but was not afraid and took it upon himself to learn and then share his knowledge. Buying this first 944 in a serious state of disrepair, he dove in. He educated himself with Porsche service and repair knowledge, bought parts, replaced them, fixed issues, and generally restored the vehicle.

JR has been sharing his self-acquired Porsche experience on YouTube for eight years. He started with the first 944 (a 1983 model) and followed through with two more 944s (a 1984, and a 1985.2). Each was naturally aspirated and generally in a state of disrespect. JR took each of these three 944s under his care and diligently brought them back into a drivable, reliable, and respectable state. Each was improved and then sold to acquire the next.

His PCar ownership list also included a 1967 912 which he held briefly and flipped to make way for other Porsche projects. During his relocation to Florida, JR sold the toys and was Porsche-less. It wasn’t until he bought the family 2011 Cayenne 3.6 that he realized he needed to ditch an Audi A7 and stop compromising. Time to get back to being fully immersed in Porsche.

After all, there really is no substitute!

It did not take long after removing the Audi from the driveway for JR to procure his first 911, a 2004 996 C4S Cabriolet.

The 996 brought JR into the modern era of Porsche; it was a beauty too. During an event last fall the 996 was presented at Porsche West Broward on the dealership showroom floor along with 20+ other vehicles provided by various owners for the PWB customer appreciation event. The 996 Cab sat in the hall between the showroom and the service area. Its silver color complemented the interior of the dealership and gave an illusion of the vehicle floating in the space. The “top down” photo taken by Patricia Walters is stunning.

Driving in south Florida can be both challenging and nerve-wracking. Sadly, only three weeks after the Porsche West Broward event JR was in the 996 Cabrio and was hit, the resulting damage totaling the car. Those who knew both JR and the

Porsche were devastated. He had been working, polishing, and bringing the vehicle to an excellent level of condition, nearly concours worthy. This has been his mantra with each of his previously owned vehicles. Given the accident everyone was concerned about what would be next for JR. Knowing there are always challenges, setbacks, and untold opportunities in achieving your goals JR shrugged off the havoc caused by the accident and soon found a 2007 Carrera 911S Cabriolet.

The acquisition of the 997 model Carrera took JR out of the “fried egg 996” clan in south Florida. Still, each member of this group was happy for him to remain in the House of Porsche. The 997 Carrera is timeless in its color combination: a black exterior and camel interior; so very classic. The Carrera also brings newfound joy and renewed driving pleasure to a guy who has worked hard for many years to be a Porsche family member.

As a young man in his mid-thirties, there is plenty of open road in front of him. The Cross family enjoy trips in the Cayenne, the family vehicle. They open the panoramic roof, drop the windows, and roll to the beach on weekend mornings. In the 911, a fun spirited drive is always welcomed as is the meticulous cleaning the Cabrio (and Cayenne) receives after the run. Waxing, leather conditioning, vacuuming is JR’s therapy. Car maintenance is that to many Porsche owners—therapeutic.

As for PCar favorites, the 1979 928 with the dogleg 5-speed is the car. Just leave off the door molding, spoilers, and extra “arrow.” To JR, “the car is a spaceship!” One day in the future, JR would certainly expect to acquire that 1974 Porsche 914 that was mentioned in his dream. Then, as Trey becomes of true “car age” the Cross boys will find a 944 project car for them to re-build together and become Trey’s first Porsche. (Hmmm, a bit like our friend Noah Ratner from a few months ago—we need to check on his progress.)

The growth opportunities in the IT field are endless. There are plans for a home in the future with some adjustments in the housing and home finance markets. Porsche opportunities are similar with incredible potential. Each segment creates its own set of goals for JR to achieve.

Young Trey will be around for some time to bring joy, new challenges, and a chance to pass along Dad’s Porsche passion. Precious Avia can’t wait for her next drop-top ride to Disney World! Anastasia is quite happy with the overall situation; enjoying her life with JR, valuing both Avia and Trey, indulging in the Porsche passion.

JR has a perpetual smile on his face for all he has earned and achieved. Each is grateful for their family life and friendships they develop. It’s a Porsche family, living within the Gold Coast Region Porsche family. Set the goals high, and what great fun it is when they are achieved!