I was born and raised on a farm located by Marion, SD, and started doing electrical work in high school with my second cousin, who was an electrical contractor. He had graduated from Dun Woody University in the 1950s.After graduating from high school, I attended MTI for 2 years in their Electrical Construction and Maintenance program. It was here that I became a student member in IAEI and SDEC. After graduating from MTI in1978, I went to work for a local contractor primarily doing residential projects. After months, I grew bored with running NM cable. I then went to work for Tuttle Electric, a contractor who preferred to do commercial work and he did not like to do the same type of job twice. I gained a great variety of experience working there and wanted to try contracting on my own. It was then that I met Ralph Bickner and Glen Jansen, both state inspectors, who encouraged me to seek a state inspectors’ position. On January Pt, 1989, I began inspecting for the State of SD and was trained by Dennis Feltman. It was about 2 weeks after starting with the State that I was asked to sit in as a code panel member for someone that didn’t show up. I was given about 3 minutes to prepare and have been teaching code classes ever since. I worked for the State until September 2005, when I accepted a position with the City of Sioux Falls. I currently hold the Chief Electrical Inspector position with 5 of the best electrical inspectors under me. I have tested and carried every license that South Dakota has ever offered along with my commercial ICC certifications. In 2021, I became President of the Western Section IAEI in Bellaire, Michigan. I served 20+years on the Marion Volunteer Fire Department. I have been a board member of the Sioux Electrical Council since the early 1990s. I have attended every SDEC annual meeting since 1989. I have worked with many of the best in our electrical industry.

My wife, Lori, and I live in Marion, SD. We have 2 children, Katie and John, and their spouses Andy and Megan, who live in Waukee, IA.