Hard work and humble beginnings….

When I was 13, my twin brother and I had a small business in Western Colorado doing any laborious task customers paid us to do. Farmers hired us to clear rocks from acres of fields. Ranchers had us tearing down barns and corrals. One Saturday we loaded an entire semi truck trailer with hay bales. At $6.00 an hour, we were the cheapest in town. One summer we worked exclusively at an alpaca ranch. In high school, I spent summers driving an hour each way to work in a coal mine with my dad. Talk about nasty, gross work. As a glorified pack animal, I carried railroad ties and built concrete block walls ten hours at a time miles under the ground.

I went off to York College on an academic and basketball scholarship and studied Special Education and Physical Education. I spent most of my time outside of class working in the homes of adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. My clients and I cooked and cleaned together, went grocery shopping, attended church, spent time at the local pool, and participated in several sports through Special Olympics.

Diploma in hand, I took a wonderful job teaching Special Education for Westside Community Schools. All my students had just finished 4 years of high school and then joined me for two more years of post-secondary education to develop their employment and independent living skills.

I never forgot the joys of working for myself even as a boy. I knew the Omaha marketplace had room for a Realtor who would do these two things: One, make real estate an all day, everyday commitment and, two, educate customers so they can make an informed decision. I’ve always enjoyed an honest day’s work so the long hours that real estate requires suit me. And I know how to present information in ways that are comfortable and easy to understand. Buying or selling a home is a big deal and I find that most customers want to do that with someone who has the heart of a teacher.

Now for the tough questions (nerd alert!):

What’s your favorite breakfast food? Eggs and peppers and sausage and cheese. And sometimes for all three meals a day!

What souvenir do you like to bring home from vacations? I only need to do two things on vacation. One, take a really good photo of my wife and I. And two, run a few miles in a new place. That’s it. Good photo. Good exercise.

What’s quirky about you? I only chew half pieces of gum. I don’t like carrying things in my pockets. I eat snack foods for meals. I listen to the same song on repeat during exercise.

Do you have a pet? We have a super cool, super calm Chinese Sharpei (you know the one with all the wrinkles) that we brought home from the Nebraska Humane Society.

What does your license plate say? SOLD OUT. Go Huskers! Husker football games have been sold out since 1962.