I grew up in Clemson, SC and my wife Susan is also a native South Carolinian from Greenwood. My father was a professor at Clemson University and my mother taught science studies in a local high school before becoming a guidance counselor, so there was a strong academic influence as I was growing up. I first attended Clemson University on a football scholarship and played under the legendary Coach Frank Howard. Although I had all that academic influence, the college social scene in my home town was much more fun than sitting in the classroom. I quit school after a couple of years and spent the next several trying to decide what I was going to do when I grew up. Incidentally, I’m still pursuing that same answer. I finally decided a career in law enforcement suited me the best and spent over 30 years in law enforcement and, later, nuclear security and emergency planning in the electric utility industry. During that time, I returned to school during nights and weekends and eventually graduated from the University of South Carolina. Being a Clemson football season ticket holder and because of the vicious in-state rivalry, I don’t broadcast that too loudly. Actually, I’m proud to be affiliated in some way with both tremendous universities. Goin' Coastal requires a definite attitude change along with a change in latitude. Many aspire to this laidback style of coastal living, but it often takes a bit of time to adjust our internal clocks to this definite "island time." How quickly you adjust to living in paradise depends on you! My wife, Susan, and I decided that we were "goin' coastal" so we moved back to our home state of South Carolina five years ago after spending 15 years in Omaha, Nebraska. I guess it was the 49 inches of snow and subzero temperatures that helped us make that decision! What we missed most, having grown up in South Carolina, was the Grand Strand coastline. So...here we are! We still have a daughter Sydney and her husband Andy in Omaha with their two cats, dog and horse. Sydney recently graduated from Creighton Law School and passed the bar exam. Andy is in real estate management with a large hospital system there. Our son Matthew and girlfriend Erin live in Mt. Pleasant, SC. She works with a large real estate development company in Charleston and he works with the Lifetime television series Army Wives. My other daughter Amy and her husband JT live in the Buffalo, NY area. JT is head strength and conditioning coach for the Buffalo Bills and Amy is the coach of my two grandsons, Drew and Owen. Most of my working career has been in law enforcement, security and emergency planning. I chose Real Estate as a second career partly because of the exciting challenges and the unbelievable Residential and Commercial markets which we were experiencing on the coast of South Carolina at the time. I've always been service oriented and believe this profession provides what I enjoy most...constantly changing relationships with clients and customers. No association is ever the same. Needs are always different and on different timetables. I love the change, I love dealing with the people and most of all, I enjoy bringing happiness to others. Whether you are looking for a vacation home, second residence or an investment property, there is no better place than on the Grand Strand. I am a member of the Coastal Carolina Association of REALTORS®, South Carolina Association of REALTORS® and National Association of REALTORS®. I am an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR®), have my e-Pro certification and obtained my Associate Broker license in 2009. I've previously served on our association's Grievance Committee and have been trained to be a Mediator in SC.