Who is this man trying to remain simple in a complex world? I was born in South Dakota and at the ripe age of 6 months old, my parents dragged me into North Dakota against my will. There I remained for the next 18 years living in two different microscopic towns (less than 1000 people). At the age of 18, I joined the United States Marine Corps (1984). In 1988, I returned back to N.D. for roughly 3 months. I moved to Cheyenne Wyoming for approximately 2 years. During that 2 years I attended Cheyenne Aero Tech and obtained my federal license to perform maintenance on private and commercial aircraft.
I moved back to N.D. for a brief 2 month stint at which time I received a job offer from United Airlines. The day I left N.D. in 1989, it was more than -40 degrees… yep, that’s a minus temp and I never looked back (well almost never). I moved to San Francisco and worked at United for the next 10 years holding two different positions (A&P mechanic and maintenance supervisor). A transfer within the company in 2000 moved me and my family to Indianapolis for the next 8 years where I worked as an aircraft technical writer and also a structures engineer. During this time, I attended Indiana Wesleyan University and acquired my bachelors of science degree in business management. In 2008, and after 18.5 years with United Airlines, I resigned and moved to N.D. to work for Goodrich Corporation as a systems engineer.
I worked at Goodrich for 4 years at which time they were purchased by United Technologies Corporation (UTC). I have now been with UTC for almost 4 years. After 6 years as a systems engineer, I took the position of customer quality manager which moved me and my family to the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix area). From 2013 to 2015, I went back to Indiana Wesleyan University and acquired my MBA with a concentration in program management. It’s been a very rewarding career of 32 years in the aerospace industry.
And now at 50 years old I am looking to put all my thoughts into words on paper (or virtual). I have had a ton of experience not just in aviation but with life in general. I have lived half way around the world, raised 5 step-kids, moved multiple times, lost all of my retirement at the age of 40, and have vowed to never say never again as long as I live. Life has taught me a lot of lessons along the way. Life is tough and it is not an easy life we try to navigate through. I have always taught my kids that the world is tough and you have to be more tough in order to make it through. Remaining simple in a complex world is not always an easy thing to accomplish.
Just a Simple Man 