My Story
Making the most of what you have been blessed with by the Lord. Hard work, determination, perseverance and stewardship are those things that I believe have defined me throughout my life. At the age of ten I had already started knocking on neighbors doors to ask to mow lawns for a little spending money. I quickly learned the concept of up-selling. With a willingness to work hard to get the job done I soon found myself stacking wood, raking leaves, and cleaning yards. By the age of twelve I had found my way onto the local cable guy's truck. I figured out that I was a true asset because I could run cable wire in small crawl spaces and attics quickly and easily -- there was a problem and I had a solution. I also learned that I had a real knack for learning things quickly and soon found myself being dropped off for entire installations on my own. Of course when summer came to an end, I was back to school, but I had cash in my pocket and a trade under my belt. I continued my journey-- farm, tractors, kitchen, lawn and garden, construction and reconditioning-- I have always been a person that never says no to hard work.
By the time I reached college I had decided that I wanted to be a police officer. I did not find out until I had almost completed my first year in criminal justice that I would not be hired because I have epilepsy. Epilepsy has been a fight that I have faced most of my life. The most difficult part is usually trying to over come the stigma and judgement that comes with having epilepsy. From my teen years to present day, one of the most debilitating parts of epilepsy is the automatic limitations people impose on you because of their lack of understanding and knowledge -- their fear of the unknown. After finding out I could not be an officer, I fell back onto what I had known my entire life, hard work and solving other peoples problems -- business. I was immediately offered a job with Walmart as management and worked with them for many years until finally going into business for myself.
The greatest blessing of my life has been that I was able to marry my bestfriend and high school sweetheart Kim. We have been together for almost 30 years now. In 1995 I purchased my first plot of land put in a driveway, well, and septic along with a mobile home to start the first year of our marriage. As is with every marriage our first year was a time of learning. Learning more about each other, what it means to live on your own and what it means to start paying bills! It became clear that I was going to put some of the skills that I had learned over the years to use. Living in the cold regions of New England, I learned very quickly what it means for pipes to freeze and the process and methods of thawing and preventing. This and many more lessons would be learned through the years of owning a mobile home. Perhaps the worst was the Ice Storm of 1998 when we spent weeks without electricity and water. I spent most of my days trucking kerosene, gas and water for myself and several neighbors.
By the time our firstborn arrived, we had built and moved into our first stick-built home, and eventually would find our way into our second home that I have built. At some point in my time with Walmart I realized that I was not happy running the rat race. An opportunity arose for me to acquire a local delivery business and I jumped on it! Since than I have spent the last two decades in business for myself. Many long hours --, blood, sweat, and yes, tears have been shed throughout this journey, but I have learned some great wisdom and continue to learn new things everyday! In the project, in the day, in the relationship one thing holds true - Always make the most of what you have!
