Victory Bay

Victory Bay’s incredible story starts in South Jersey and South Philadelphia, stretches westward to Arizona, and returns home to the Garden State.

AJ Solomon grew up as part of a prominent family in Haddonfield, N.J., and Chris McGoldrick was born and raised just 20 minutes away – but a world apart – in South Philly. They had never met before, but their paths crossed in Prescott, Arizona, where they met at a treatment facility seeking recovery from addiction. It was there that Brent Reese became a big factor in their lives.

“The night I met A.J., we were at a 12-step meeting,” says Reese, a co-founder of Victory Bay along with Solomon. “At the meeting, A.J. shared some personal pain at the group level. Afterward, as he was leaving, I tapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand and asked if we could chat for a few minutes, which we did. The next week he asked me to be his sponsor. I said it would be an honor and a privilege and our journey began then.”

When Solomon first met McGoldrick, now the Senior Vice President at Victory Bay, they were not exactly two fish from the same pond. At least they did not seem to be at first glance.

“AJ went to college and graduated. He came from a well-known New Jersey family. But I came from a different world,” recalls McGoldrick. “It seemed from the outside that we were very, very different. But as it turns out, we connected on many levels: both from Jersey, recovery, sports, the Eagles, and lots of similarities and connections. As I got sober and implemented the 12 steps of recovery in my life, and by working in this field for a while, I’ve come to understand that the person you think you’re most different from is usually the person you’re most like.”

Solomon helps connect the dots of the story of two 20-something men, “I got sober with the help of two guys in Arizona that I did not know before; that being Chris and Brent, who are both sober longer than me,” he explains. “Chris became my friend, my sober brother, and Brent became my sponsor. They’re two of my closest relationships.”

Sparked by his sobriety and the strength of these personal connections, Solomon decided to approach Reese about opening a substance use treatment center.

“I pitched the idea to Brent, we discussed it for a short period of time and decided what the heck, let’s do it. And that’s how we started on our journey. It was a pretty simple decision,” said Solomon.

Reese had the experience that helped make Victory Bay become a reality. “As AJ and I planned and discussed the launch of the center, I knew he was so personable and excelled at building relationships, more of a business development mentality. But we needed an operations guy and I thought Chris would excel in this area,” says Reese. Reese’s background includes launching successful start-ups and organizational turnarounds.

“So, I suggested to AJ that we hire Chris and move him back to New Jersey to help launch and run the business. The rest is history.” Reese notes, “I would stay in Prescott, Ariz., and they would be on the ground in New Jersey. They’ve both succeeded beyond my expectations.”

Another part of the story is Reese’s ability to recognize talent in others and wanting to help them get started in the business world. Both Solomon and McGoldrick have talent. “Besides having talent, willingness, and discipline, they’re both serious about their recovery; I would not have gone into business with them if they weren’t,” says Reese.

“At the end of the day, it’s ‘community and accountability that ensures long-term recovery.”

The dedicated staff of professionals at Victory Bay all believes it’s never too late to begin treatment – and never too soon to start.