Education
Education has always been important to me. In sixth grade my mother enrolled me at Shady Side Academy, one of Pittsburgh's prominent private schools. While at Shady Side Academy, I started my first business, I would buy candy in bulk from a local merchant each morning and then sell it to the children at Shadyside Academy that day, buying Charms lollipops for five cents and then selling them for 25 cents. Through trial and error, I learned firsthand how to get very precise in buying, understanding the needs of the marketplace, creating my first inventory system and basic accounting.
In ninth grade, I was accepted to Kiskiminetas Springs School. Kiskiminetas is the oldest boys prep school in the nation. It was there that I met one of the most influential people in my life. Jack Pidgeon, the headmaster, was the fairest man that I have ever known. He inserted himself fully in my life. By appointing me to be a prefect over the other students, he gave me more responsibilities than my classmates so I could realize my potential.
In 1982 I had many decisions to make when choosing a college, but decided on Allegheny College in Northwest Pennsylvania. On the first day of school, I met my wife, and from there started a vending machine business, ran the commissary and became house manager for The Phi Delta Theta Fraternity Allegheny Chapter. I graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in economics and a minor in computer science.
In 1993, I completed the New Product Development & Introduction seminar at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Executive Management Program.