Jet Engine Mechanic
I entered the US Air Force when I was 17 years old, doing basic
training at Lakeland AFB in Texas. I attended technical school at
Chanute AFB in Illinois. My first duty station was Homestead AFB in
Florida, 30 minutes south of Miami. After three years, I took another
assignment at Moody AFB in Valdosta, Georgia. Unfortunately I really
finished my military career at Fort Gordon Medical Center in Augusta,
Georgia.
Glazier (or one who installs glass)
After getting home from the Air Force I was living at my mom & dad's house and really didn't have a plan for what I was going to do next. I was at my brother's wedding and at the reception my dad came up to me and said I was going to work at his glass business, Bay Metro Glass. I would work there for about 2 years, installing glass for in commercial buildings. My dad owned the company with Bob Gatzke and Jerry Pamperin and I worked with Tom Gazke and Roger Caelwarts. It wasn't easy work, but I was able to do the job and it paid me (not much but it was a paycheck). One of the biggest jobs was the walkway over Main Street downtown Green Bay. It went from the hotel across to the then parking ramp that was part of the Port Plaza Mall. We installed the panels and all the glass. |
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A horrible project was the Target entrance in the Fox River Mall in Appleton. Bob Gatzke was in charge of bidding the glass and when he was reading the plans he thought the red trusses were the top of the window, but in fact the glass went above and the panels sat in front of the glass. Nobody thought anything about it until we show up and bring the glass and my dad realizes they are about 4 feet short. After the embarassment with everyone seeing what happened, he was totally furious with Bob and knew they would have to eat the cost of this glass (it was tempered glass and it could not be cut) and order new glass and having to tell Target management about the delay.
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Another interesting story was when heading back from a job in Appleton, Roger and I where driving behind the company glass van and had a car inbetween us. We were going up HWY 41 around the Mid Valley Golf Course and sheet of glass about 5 feet x 6 feet came off the truck and shattered on the road. The window was double paned, which meant it had metal spacer around the edge. When we went through the glass and metal, it was like a storm hitting the truck and all we could think about was the car that was behind the van and what they drove through. We pulled over and got the metal spacer out of traffic and after finding out we didn't have a broom went to a house and borrowed one. Then between vehicles swept the highway. We thought for sure when we got back to the shop that there would be someone there demanding their car fixed as the company name was all over the van, but we never heard from anyone.
Eventually, the business did go bankrupt and instead of finding a glass job, dad started a glass business by himself, Royal Glass. I did work there part-time while going to UWGB.
College
I graduated from the Univeristy of Wisconsin - Green Bay with degrees
in Geography and Regional Analysis (with and Emphasis in Land Use
Planning). I developed an passion for geography and enjoy making maps
(cartography). While there I was able to use do some work with PC
ArcInfo 3.5, the beginning of my career.
GIS
While at UWGB, I interned at Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission as a
cartographer and planning assistant. Fortunately, we switched from
paper maps to GIS, also PC ArcInfo 3.5.I left Bay-Lake and joined Geographic Systems Corp as a GIS Project Consultant, which didn't last long.
I luckily was able to find employment at American Digital Cartography in Appleton, WI. Although, starting out in marketing, I was able to quickly move into programming ArcInfo Workstation to convert goverment and private digital data sources for use in AutoCAD and other GIS/CAD formats. Working my up to Director of Technical Services.
I was "swayed" into moving to Earth Tech in Sheboygan, WI and for 7 years worked as a GIS Analyst. Although I was unfortunate in the supervisors I had to work for, I was able to have a sense of pride with the GeoBase program. Starting in October of 2001, I worked at Langley AFB in Hampton, VA as part of Operation Enduring Freedom for almost three months. After that, I was called on to help support GeoBase offices at Langley AFB - VA, Ellsworth AFB - SD, Nellis AFB - NV, Beale AFB - CA, Shaw AFB - SC, Seymour Johnson AFB - NC, and Whiteman AFB - MO.
I then did a brief employment at McMahon Associates in Neenah, WI. I worked mainly on Stormwater managment plans and enjoyed the company, but felt I needed a change from the Engineering/Consulting side of GIS.
I currently work at the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin in Keshena, WI. I work in the Community Development department as the GIS Coordinator. After six months, I have been enjoying developing the GIS program form ground up and finally have a sense of pride in the career that sort of chose me.
Life
After the Air Force, I wanted to have a "normal" life. I worked at my dad's glass businesses, Bay Metro Glass and Royal Glass, installing mainly commercial windows and doors. I did start a relationship with a friend of Mark Lawler's, eventually moving in together in an apartment next to Lambeau Field. That ended when I received permission to attend college through the VA and deceided I couldn't pay rent and devote what time I required to finally take education seriously.While at UWGB I met my future wife and had two boys (Brandon and Adam). With various employers, I did try to also make family life as enjoyable as possible. The boys enjoyed the Packers, lego's, Monster Jam, and NASCAR. We took many trips, mainly to Florida and Disney World. All the while trying to employed and providing as best of a life for the family, especially while the wife decided to quit and be a stay at home mom after Adam was born.
After being let go from Earth Tech, the wife had to go back in the workforce and then decided that flirtation with a co-worker at the Village of Suamico was a better decision, started an affair that led to our divorce and another marriage.
I purchased a house to stay near the boys and started internet dating.
Some off and on relationships that didn't last long. On Aug 21, 2021 I started a relationship with current girlfriend Mary Boschaert, actually a friend from the UWGB Cartography Lab days.