I was born in Flemington, New Jersey, attended Hunterdon Central High School and was an offensive center on the first undefeated football team.  

I met my wife, Jeanne, who is originally from Easton, PA, while attending Kutztown University, in which we both graduated with Bachelor Degrees.  We were married in Monticello, NY where we purchased a farm and started a farm market.

We began a vegetable farm and grew cut flowers and fresh vegetables such as squash, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, dahlias and gladiolas. We sold them from a wagon at our farm located in Monticello and expanded into a farm market.

We sold all kinds of vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, potatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, hot peppers , eggplant, mushrooms, garlic, onions, okra, zucchini, yams, sweet potatoes and fresh fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, Hudson Valley apples such as red delicious, golden delicious, empire, Rome, Cortland and Macoun. We also sold fresh apple cider, cranberry cider, peach cider and grape juice,  peaches, nectarines, seedless grapes ,concord grapes, cranberries, blueberries, kiwis, plums, gooseberries, currents, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew.  We also sold maple syrup, honey, home baked pies, cakes, and cookies.  Christmas trees and wreaths and roping were popular in the winter and nursery items and shrubs in the spring through fall at our farm in Monticello, New York .

Our first greenhouse was a solar experimental greenhouse based on plans from Rodale. It worked well so we expanded and built 3 greenhouses and grew tulips, Easter lilies, hyacinths, and daffodils in the spring. For the summer we grew a full line of bedding plants including geraniums, fushias , vegetable plants, hanging baskets, herbs and perennials. They were sold retail and at the Kutztown Farmers Market in Kutztown, PA.

We expanded further into a full service florist and gift business. We represented FTD and were designated by "1-800 Flowers.com" as their choice of shops in our area.

We sold our business after 19 years and my insurance agent sparked my interest in becoming a farm insurance agent.  I began working for Farm Family Insurance of Albany, NY as an agent. After working for Farm Family,  I decided to begin my own full service agency which I currently operate with my wife, Jeanne, in Fleetwood, Pa.

We raise llamas at our farm where our office is located. We purchased Snowy and Fudge in Lebanon, and won the bid for Romo in the silent auction at  Penn State Ag Progress Days, Rock Springs, PA. When we picked Romo up from his farm in  Bradford, PA we purchased Princess who sired Prince Valentine who was bred on our farm and born on February 11, 2005.  We shear their fiber annually and my wife uses the fiber for knitting, weaving, and felting projects.   Marcel and Arlene Gruter of Bangor, PA. who own Purplehaze Alpacas, have encouraged us greatly.  They are champion breeders of Alpacas and their site is www.purplehazealpacas.com .  People we have met have helped us enjoy our animals even more.

We also have 2 Australian Shepherds and an Aussie mix.  Misty and Little Bear are pure bread.  Woodstock is a puppy that we received from Mike Ahlert & Dr. Charis Lindrooth owners of the Red Earth Farm in Orwigsburg, PA.