They say we learn by example, and that is certainly true in my case. My mother has been a Realtor for over thirty years. The flexibility of work schedule she had while my brothers and I were growing up is part of the reason I started my own real estate career. I wanted to give my children the same quality and quantity of parenting time I experienced as a child.

I grew up in North Ridgeville, Ohio, a town I jokingly call "The Corn Capital of the World," earned a degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Toledo, then began a career in software development.

In the midst of my junior year, I offered to help a neighbor move into a new apartment, and met her new roommate, Mindy. You might say I believe in love at first sight, because the first time I saw Mindy, I knew something was different. It took five years and a lot of growing up on my part before she agreed to marry me, but she was worth every minute!