I grew up in a small village called Greendale which is on the outskirts of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1936, as a part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began construction of three planned communities in the US known as Greenbelt Towns and Greendale was one of them. These towns were built so that housing was situated within easy walking distance of gardens, employment and the town center, with uniform streets, sidewalks, driveways and underground utilities – which were unusual at the time. This upbringing had a profound effect on my view of communities.

After receiving my BS in Industrial Engineering from LSU in Baton Rouge, I began my career in 1983 with Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas leading a photolithography team in their semi-conductor division followed by a position in the Missile Systems Division optimizing factory operations. Both divisions were early adopters of continuous improvement and the scientific method. Pursuing growth opportunities, I joined the Boeing Company in 1986 as an automation engineer within the company’s avionics division. With a small team, the task was to create a “lights out” factory.

Although progress was made, I learned a valuable lesson in that automation and technology are important but people and processes are key to true success. While at Boeing, I held leadership positions in engineering, quality, human resources, finance, and eventually managed the division’s PCB and Control Module facility. During this time, I earned his MBA from the University of Dallas with an emphasis on engineering management.

From a love of the great outdoors, I decided to leave Texas in 1994 to run a small contract electronics firm in Hood River, Oregon. Transitioning from a large corporation to a small company of 120 employees was personally formative and invaluable as I saw the worth of doing more with less and what matters most in building community and contributing to the welfare of others.

In 1996, I left the wind Surfing, hiking, skiing, and rock climbing of Hood River behind and moved to Seattle to join a boutique consulting firm. The change from operations leadership to having influence without authority was developmental. My curiosity to learn about various diverse industries and the challenges they face, reinforced my affinity for servant leadership in helping them achieve their goals.

During this time I met an amazing woman named Alison. We married in 1999 and have two remarkable sons that live nearby. In 2000, I launched V2R Consulting Group and began consulting independently. I earned my Ph.D. in Organization and Management from Capella University in MN while building my consultancy.

I am currently semi-retired but with a different view of helping others. I believe that greater results are more readily attained and sustained when there is a philosophical client / consultant match of principles and values, leaving a legacy of achievement and community.