I was born and raised in a small very rural village that is a stereotypical conservative Normal Rockwell environment both environmentally and culturally. My father was a plant engineer at a factory. I was raised largely by my mother’s family, a lineage of dairy farmers in the local area for nearly two centuries and by the community at large. It is an environment that to this day instills family and community values with a good dose of work ethic. That’s as grass-roots as it gets!
My academic career began in a two-room school house with a teacher named Maude Skinner. A decorated Eagle Scout, I then attended the State University of New York and received a Bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry. With some financial help from my family, I supported my education expenses working as a laborer doing golf course construction for four years and as a laborer with a heavy construction company for 5 years (Laborer’s International Union of North America, Local 603). Recognizing that my future success would depend on being the most-accomplished in my field, I continued my education at Penn State University receiving an MS and PhD specializing in physiology, biochemistry and agronomy.
After moving to Arizona in 1986, I worked for an affiliate of the Del Webb Corporation for seven years. For better or worse, the corporate world is an excellent training ground for both teamwork and the brutality of the competitive business world. Since 1993, I have operated my small business firm serving clients primarily in the Southwest but even internationally. I remain on the cutting edge of my field by helping my clients achieve industry-leading success in a very competitive environment. I also continue in the science field by performing analytical laboratory services and contract research and development for chemical companies.
My point is that I understand what it is like to not have a paycheck in my mail on Friday. Rather, I have to be better than my competitors and produce superior results for my clients as a matter of my survival.
My mother was born during the Depression to a family that struggled as many did. Her father worked on WPA projects and her mother worked in a manufacturing factory. Meanwhile, they both worked the remaining hours to build a dairy farm. They got through the experience by doing without that which they couldn’t afford. To this day, my uncle and cousin operate the family farm where many others have failed by practicing the discipline of right-sizing, debt avoidance and hard work.
I was born and raised in a small very rural village that is a stereotypical conservative Normal Rockwell environment both environmentally and culturally. My father was a plant engineer at a factory. I was raised largely by my mother’s family, a lineage of dairy farmers in the local area for nearly two centuries and by the community at large. It is an environment that to this day instills family and community values with a good dose of work ethic. That’s as grass-roots as it gets!
This culture of financial responsibility is ingrained in my personality. Even when I had nothing, I have never carried a credit card balance or borrowed money for a car. Instead, I did without until I was financially able. I paid off my thirty-year mortgage in about ten. In business, the strength is my reputation for producing world-class product but at low cost. I am known for orchestrating well-oiled endeavors that motivate and bring out the best of all team contributors. As I do in my personal and business lives, I will bring small and efficient, yet effective, government to Arizona as it was originally intended to be. It is results that count!
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