McGuire cherishes opportunity to make difference in his hometown

After he graduated from Odessa High School in 2010, Ryan McGuire was ready to experience life away from his hometown.
McGuire and his girlfriend at the time, Paige, who is now his wife, moved to Lubbock after he accepted a job at Bank of America with intentions of enrolling at Texas Tech in the future.
About a year after working at the Bank of America in Lubbock, McGuire received an opportunity at the bank’s branch in Odessa.
“When we were growing up, especially high school age, a lot of people were satisfied with where they were raised,” McGuire said. “They don’t see any of the beauty and all they can think is ‘I can’t wait to get the heck out of here.’ My wife and I had a little bit of that kind of attitude back in the day.”
McGuire and his wife returned to their hometown with the mindset of improving life for their family and the rest of the community.
In early 2017, McGuire finalized paperwork to start Armic Systems, which focuses on digital marketing. He also serves as the chairman for the Odessa Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and he’s on the board for the Odessa Arts.
“Whenever we decided to move back to Odessa, it was such a serious conversation,” McGuire said. “We thought if we are going to do this. We aren’t playing around. We are getting involved and we are really going to make the most of this.”
As a 26-year-old, McGuire will be one of 20 recipients to be honored during the third annual Odessa Under 40 Awards Gala at the MCM Grande Hotel and FunDome. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday.
McGuire found out about three months ago that he had been nominated to receive an Odessa Under 40 award. He discovered about six weeks ago that he would be one of the 20 honorees.
“I felt incredibly blessed that a friend that nominated me would have done so in the first place and then even more so that I was going to be recognized in this way,” McGuire said. “This is really something special. The work that you do isn’t all for recognition, but when it does happen, the majority of us feel appreciated.”
McGuire and wife got married in 2015. He said the stakes to ensure the quality of life for his family increased after the birth of their daughter. Ryan and Paige McGuire have a year-and-a-half-old daughter named Emma.
Until their daughter is old enough to attend school, McGuire said his wife is a stay-at-home mother. He said after that Paige McGuire will re-enter the workforce.
“(Me and my wife) really try to stay in the moment and think about the future,” McGuire said. “We both think about what kind of impact can we have on the community and what can we do to make this the place where our daughter will be proud to call home.”