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I was raised in a U.S. Navy family, with my father proudly serving over 20 years. This did not allow for very deep roots, as we moved every 4 years, but it did provide a worldly knowledge, and we spent 4 years in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. We finally wound up in Baltimore, and I attended Parkville High, graduating in 1981(home of the Knights, of course).
I evidently did not have enough of the military bug, and joined the Navy as well. I served two tours of duty on two different tin cans (small ships) in the 7th fleet (Pacific). My job classification was ship repair and firefighting/hazmat. I was decorated 9 times and was honorably discharged in 1986. My last ship’s home port was Pearl Harbor, and I decided to stay a while after becoming a civilian. I was young, dumb, and in Hawaii, what could be more fun?! At night I worked at a bar in Waikiki, and by day, I did handyman work. I started working for a remodeling company full time, building a large research and development facility on the windward side of Oahu. After construction was complete, I took a position at the facility as site maintenance worker, eventually becoming the Site Manager. In 1990, I realized that the life in paradise was not enough without the enrichment of family, and, after too many missed holidays and family functions, I came home to Baltimore. My first job after returning home was with a local plumbing company, who hired me as an apprentice. I also started working part time at Hechinger’s Hardware. That turned into a full time position in their plumbing department, with all the benefits of working indoors and no sewer lines to unclog. I gained valuable knowledge of various fixture manufactures and product usage. I also started taking courses on bathroom design, since I was starting to specify and sell higher end fixtures. This new interest in design principles directed my focus to kitchen designing as well. When a position in the Kitchen and Bath Design Center opened up, I jumped at the chance and was awarded the job opportunity. As with any endeavor I take on, I wanted to gain more knowledge, not only to better myself, but to better serve the homeowners I worked with. I joined the local chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, attending monthly meetings and seminars. Realizing this was a good fit for a career path, I attended design courses offered through the NKBA, finally taking and passing the test for designation of Certified Kitchen Designer in 1995. I was the only designer at any Hechinger location to go through and be accredited with this certification. Upon certification, I was asked to head the design center at the company’s flagship Home Project Center in Laurel. In 1997, I decided to start my own business. Realizing the abundance of kitchen and bath design showrooms, I combined my talent of design and installation techniques in a full-service kitchen and bath remodeling business. Not having the expense and overhead of a large showroom allows me to offer better values to my customer. I have grown my business in to what it is today, a full-service remodeling company, without the need of advertising. I have worked hard to maintain a high reputation of quality craftsmanship and service, allowing me to work continually since 1997 by word of mouth and referrals alone. Many of my current customers are also repeat customers, which is a statement in itself in today’s economic climate. My personal passion is cooking food and eating food, enjoying the creation of global cuisine at home. I believe this also helps in the creation and design of not only a beautiful kitchen, but a functional one as well. |