A little bit about me: 

• Born & raised in Sheboygan, WI 

• Graduated from Sheboygan North High School. 

• Graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh with a B.S. in Political Science and minors in business, military science, and spanish. 

• Sports fanatic - I played football, baseball, basketball, racquetball, and tennis growing up, and am a confirmed ESPN junkie. I'm a huge fan of the Packers and Badgers.  

• Earned an MBA from VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) in 2007, with concentrations in Real Estate and Finance. I've since taken additional coursework in Marketing. Earned five separate merit scholarships. I am currently working on my G.G. (Graduate Gemologist) degree from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), which I'll finish in late 2009. I also have a strong desire to obtain a second master's degree as soon as possible.  

• Military experience with great leadership training:  Served in the US Army Reserve as an enlisted artillery soldier, and then the Wisconsin Army National Guard as an infantry officer. Served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, TOW Platoon Leader, and Scout Platoon Leader (Mechanized). Completed service as a First Lieutenant and honorably discharged (early, due to civilian job transfer). Military training includes: Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (MOS 13B, Artillery, Fort Sill, OK); US Army Airborne School (Fort Benning, GA); Air Assault School (Fort Campbell, KY); ROTC Advanced Camp (Fort Lewis, WA); CTLT (Fort Campbell). Completed ROTC Leadership training and military science minor, and earned Army Commission as an Infantry Officer. Attended US Army IOBC (Infantry Officer Basic Course, Fort Benning); NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) School (Fort McCoy, WI); TOW Trainer Course (Fort Benning); Light Fighter School (Fort McCoy). 

• I have an extensive work history with many large companies, most of which are related to retail, merchandising, marketing, and e-commerce in some manner or another. Companies include: Sears, Best Buy, CompUSA, Tandy Corp's Incredible Universe, Circuit City, SunCom/AT&T Wireless, Metrocall Wireless, and Jewelry Television, and of course the US Army and Wisconsin National Guard. Positions I've held include: Retail Salesperson, Store Manager, Buyer, Web Merchandise Manager, Indirect Retail Channel Manager, National Accounts Manager, B2B Sales Manager, E-Commerce Vertical Business Manager and of course, Army Officer. 

• I enjoy destroying, fixing, and constructing things around the house, and would like to get into real estate rehabbing ("flipping") and investing. 

• Unapologetic dog lover and SPCA supporter. We currently have four awesome dogs (Lexi, Cleo, Molly, and Sammi), and one wonderful dog, Maggie, that died. I even have a dog blog about our thoughts and adventures! 

• Addicted to CNBC. I'm extremely interested in financial and economic topics. I also love learning (and participating) in E-Commerce and the globalization of business. 

• I don't watch much TV (except for sports and CNBC). TV is just the opiate of the masses. On the other hand, I love the WSJ and Wikipedia, zoos, my Jeep, canoeing, softball, and hiking, among other things. 

• From a Facebook "note" that went around, here are 25 random things about me:  
  1. I love to cook and experiment.
  2. I’m a voracious reader and passionate about learning and education.
  3. I have four dogs that I love to death.
  4. I love driving around in the summer in my Jeep with the top down.
  5. I’m a sports and SportsCenter junkie, especially for Wisconsin teams.
  6. I really, really want to go back to grad school and get a 2nd Master’s degree.
  7. I regret not staying in the military longer and going on active duty when I had the chance.
  8. I like building and fixing stuff, like the floor I’m working on now.
  9. I hate, hate, hate reality TV. Actually, I think most TV programming is brain-dead.
  10. I love learning about E-Commerce…totally interesting field, and I’m glad I’m in it.
  11. I love loud music and driving fast….really fast.
  12. My undergrad degree is in Political Science, and all politicians are at least one of: Incompetent, greedy, out-of-touch, or criminal.
  13. I love being on the water, and being outside in general.
  14. Though I grew up in Wisconsin, I hate cold weather.
  15. I hate salad and cheese.
  16. I love chocolate, steak, shrimp, and spaghetti.
  17. I used to be almost fluent in Spanish, and I’d love to learn Chinese.
  18. I want to get a PhD some day, and teach.
  19. I think the lack of financial education of our kids in this country is a travesty (and is now manifesting itself!)
  20. I’m lucky to have worked for four brilliant bosses in my life, who I’ve learned a lot from.
  21. I hate mornings, and like staying up late…really late.
  22. I’ve been accused of being a workaholic many times, and was forced to take vacations twice.
  23. I hate political correctness, which is just a synonym for dishonesty.
  24. I admire: General George S Patton, jr; Abraham Lincoln, Vince Lombardi, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the late Senator William Proxmire, Bobby Knight, Salvadore Dali, and Albert Einstein.
  25. I used to be much more of a geek than I am now, building computers, teaching an internet class, etc, I wish I had time for that kind of stuff now.
  

Thanks for stopping by!