Born and raised in Austintown, he grew up in a construction-oriented family as the youngest of five children. His childhood home was located directly across the street from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and School, where he attended school for eight years. He fondly remembers being able to walk home for lunch and occasionally bringing a friend along—truly enjoying the “good old days.”

Because of his close proximity to Immaculate Heart of Mary, he became a reliable altar server for the early morning Mass while the other children attended the later children’s Mass. His reward for taking on that responsibility with Monsignor Prokop was the opportunity to serve at many funeral and wedding Masses, which occasionally came with a little extra spending money—a pretty great perk for a young altar server!

After graduating from Immaculate Heart of Mary and Austintown Fitch High School, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Youngstown State University. Shortly after graduating from YSU, he began his career with The Cafaro Company as an Energy Manager overseeing regional shopping centers.

At the same time, he began raising four daughters, who have since grown up and now have four daughters of their own, with two more grandchildren on the way. As if raising four daughters and building a career were not enough, he also began what has become a 36-year—and still ongoing—career as a part-time firefighter with the Austintown Fire Department.

Throughout his career, he has held a variety of positions, including:

• Roth Bros. – HVAC New Construction Project Manager and Facilities Automation Technician
• Thomas Steel Strip Mill – General Laborer and Electrical Repair
• Giant Eagle Corporate – Regional Facilities Manager
• ECHO Real Estate – Regional Property Manager
• EAST O & M – Real Estate Property Manager at Youngstown Air Reserve Station
• Saint Michael Parish – Maintenance

Together, these positions represent nearly 40 years of experience in the operations and maintenance field.

Outside of work and the fire department, he enjoys all types of motorsports, especially sprint car racing, NASCAR, and NHRA drag racing. He also enjoys listening to live music and photography, with a particular emphasis on capturing sunrise and sunset scenes.

Perhaps most importantly, he has been married to his wonderful wife, Kelly, for 27 years. The two of them enjoy many of the same activities, as well as visiting their daughters and spending time with their grandchildren, who all live out of state.