How Did We Get Here?

It started back in Ohio during my junior year of high school back in 1992 at Mentor High School home to the Fighting Cardinal, truly terrifying. Dr Henry Covetta opened my eyes to what I had been missing with Chemistry. How things we made and the basic building blocks to everything and all that schtick. The only class in high school I actually looked forward to, did all the home work in and actually bought the text book at the end of the year (even got it autographed).

So now how did I go from a poorly dressed and horribly dancing teenager to Chemist? Started at Lakeland Community College getting my electives out of the way during the day and working at Royal Plastics making vacuum parts at night. Two very long years to get my Associates of Science. Then it was off to Bowling Green State University (Go Falcons!) where my first year there I took Biology, Physics and Organic Chemistry all in the same year with associated labs during the day and slinging pizzas at Pisanello’s pizza at night (Best pizza I have ever had even twenty years later). Finally off to Ohio University where I spent many a day, evening and overnight in Clippinger Labs taking classes and working on my Masters degree. Sleepless nights thinking about oxazolidinoes haunting every corner until I graduated.

I’d covered 3 of the 4 corners of Ohio at this point so it was off to Cincinnati to put my chemistry degree to work. All those years to become Walter White before the world knew who he was and….well…..I was miserable. When one door closes a window opens so I moved over to the QC lab. There I found my calling. Working my way up the ranks to become the Quality Control Group Leader before hitting that glass ceiling. Having only a Master’s degree I could never get the manager title so I left the heart of it all for New England.

Spending nearly the next decade continuing up to quality ranks from a manager at two sites, then to an integration manager overseeing the quality labs in four sites in three states and finally a lab systems manager responsible for two sites in Massachusetts, one in New Jersey and two in Scotland. Lots of challenges aligning processes and working with an amazing collection from individuals with their own unique backgrounds.

Everything changed with Covid including a new career focus for myself leaving the onsite chemistry and analytical labs to start working remote supporting clients in their computer validation needs and leading an outstanding group of consultants without meeting most of them face-to-face. As vacations and travel was put on hold I turned to working at home and unlocking my creative side building my first workbench in January 2022. That was the beginning to splinters, cuts, backaches and a whole new world of absolute fun creating charcuterie boards, phone stands, flags and furniture. Looking forward to seeing what other skills and things I can make along the way.