After high school graduation, I attended USD in Vermillion, receiving a BA in Math and an MBA in 1970 and 1971 respectively. My first “real” job was in the investment department of a small bank in Lincoln Nebraska. After two years in Lincoln, I yearned for a bigger city and moved to Minneapolis where I worked in the investment department of Lutheran Brotherhood for three years. Seeking easier winters I moved to Chicago in 1976, accepting a job as investment manager for the Sears Pension and Profit Sharing Funds. I met my first wife in Chicago and we were married in 1977. The timing of the move to escape bad winters could not have been worse as Chicago had their three worst winters in history in 1977 — 1978 — 1979. During the winter of 1979 the city was paralyzed with 91 inches of snow and two choices for weather: Bitter cold or snow!!

After visiting Phoenix during these three winters, my first wife and I decided that it was time for a change and we both packed up and moved to Phoenix in 1979. The marriage did not survive the move but I did stay in Phoenix and worked from 1979 — 1989 for several large banks or insurance companies in investment related areas. In 1982 I met my current wife (Karen), who at that time worked for a competing bank in their investment department. We married in 1985; she has two daughters (Cassie and Nicki) by her first marriage. After two consecutive corporate takeovers and the associated fallout, I decided to look to another career path. Starting in about 1986, I started teaching university classes on a part-time basis for the University of Phoenix and several other local universities. I very much enjoyed the teaching as a “breath of fresh air” from the corporate world; in fact so much that I accepted a full time teaching position with a small private university (Embry Riddle) in Prescott Arizona in 1989. My teaching responsibilities included economics, finance and management. Prescott is at a mile high elevation about 90 miles northwest of Phoenix.

As a full time university professor I realized the need for a doctoral degree so I enrolled in a working adult PhD program based in Cincinnati and received my degree in Business Administration in 1992. After all my degree requirements were finished I found I had a lot of spare time so in 1993, I started doing appraisals of privately held business interests on a part time basis with two colleagues who worked in Phoenix. In 1999, there was a political fight at Embry Riddle, the net effect of which was the closure of the Business department. -Fortunately between 1993 and 1999 my appraisal business had grown to the point where I simply moved into the appraisal business on a full time basis. My wife and I moved back to the Phoenix area in 2000 (Fountain Hills) and since then I have continued with my appraisal business and have also been teaching again on a part time basis for University of Phoenix. My wife is the Office Manager for the local Fountain Hills Catholic Church. Our family has grown now to include a son-in-law (John) and grandson (Eli —2 years old). Another grandson is on the way — due to arrive any day now!!