Meet Tesfaye Yemane, Culpepper Garden Independent Living Resident

Tesfaye Yemane moved to Culpepper Garden in 2012 and works as a salesman at Koons Arlington Toyota. As a participant in his Koons’ Fit & Healthy Challenge employee program Tesfaye walked 1.04 million steps in 90 days earlier this year. Although the competition is over Tesfaye continues to wake at 5:30 am most mornings and walks 10,000 steps traversing the hallway on the lower level of Culpepper Garden. “Exercise is now a part of my life,” Tesfaye said. “It’s a matter of commitment; anyone can do it.” He has diabetes, but the health benefits of walking include losing 14 pounds, lower blood pressure and lower blood sugar.

Tesfaye was born in 1936 in Ethiopia, educated in law and later went to the University of Geneva on a scholarship from the Swiss government. He moved to Northern Virginia from New York in 1999 and was an entrepreneur and small business owner. He became a US citizen in 2006. He enjoys working and says that Jimmy Koons shares his wealth with employees and workers. He enjoys Culpepper Garden, where rent is much more affordable. (May 2016)