Born/raised on what was my grandfather’s dairy farm. Spent my youth outdoors; work started early with my father’s excavating business: operating heavy equipment, digging/constructing cellars for homes, ponds, water wells, home leach fields, irrigation ditches; anything that involved moving dirt. Also, worked in large apple orchard and in gravel/crushed stone operation. Operated bulldozers, front end loaders, dragline, stone crusher, backhoe, etc before I could drive.

Learned value/necessity of hard work early: be on-time, do it right the first time, anticipate customer needs, self motivation, always do your best, be trusting and trustworthy, listen to customers, ask questions, do extra’s, treat property/equipment like it was your own, be fair.

Always learning: Two yr degree in engineering to B.S. ChE to MBA in marketing/finance. Grandfather, father, uncles and close friends taught street values; importance of your word, your work and taking responsibility. Enjoy reading, non-fiction, history, business trends, and biographies. Take risks to learn.

Successful Corp. career: chemicals and plastics; Operations, sales and marketing, supply chain, business development, M&A, strategic planning, technology development. Developed/honed leadership skills, building off ones I learned ‘at home’: build trust based relationships, stay focused, mentor new leaders, hire people smarter than you, take risks, fix mistakes faster than you made them, zero based budgets. Ran $750 million distribution business, started and grew a polymer additives business to 60+ million, implemented industry leading electronic commerce process in distribution, instituted a new strategic planning process for a $4 billion chemicals business.

Going forward my compass is directed toward helping the Arkansas Valley community grow, protect its environment and natural beauty while providing people respect and trust. Whether it is creating exciting landscapes, integrating the natural with man-made or maintaining a residential or commercial investment. Altamont Landscapes is committed to life long relationships with each of its customers and this community.