I look at things differently. I started in my father's construction company in 1979, working my way up from a laborer to President. Back then, the firm was a small local concern in Kawkawlin, Michigan. However, by the time I retired in 2022, it had become one of the largest in Michigan, with offices in Orlando, Florida, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Redlands, California.

Throughout my years in business, I was always fascinated by the combination of family and business. I often referred to it as mixing ketchup and steel, as both entities were so different. Over the years, I've witnessed some family businesses not only survive but thrive. I sought to discover their secrets, and in this book, I reveal what I found. "The Family Business Rules©" are outlined to clearly highlight the practices necessary to prevent the family business from destroying the family and to make them truly great businesses.

Today, I consult with family businesses, mentor entrepreneurs, and assist my wife and five daughters in raising our twenty-one grandchildren. I serve on the Board of Directors of Vesta, a publicly traded firm on the NYSE, Agro-liquid, a nationwide fertilizer manufacturer, and Core Engineering.

My passions include fly-fishing, riding horses, playing guitar, making maple syrup on my sugarbush in Michigan, inventing things with no practical use whatsoever, and flying airplanes high and fast. I split my time between my small ranch in Southern Michigan and a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Virginia.