I was raised in the small town of Fowler, not Fowlerville, which I have to tell people all the time. There’s one flashing light, a population of just over 1,200, including the 54 I graduated from high school with in 1999. Now I live in Howell (Livingston County), which is really just a giant Fowler, surrounded by corn and soybeans. My wife Cassie and I have two children, McCoy (9) and Sloan (7). And don’t forget our dog Traeger, named after my grill.
Before Farm Bureau I had just a little background in agriculture. When I was young we’d grow and sell vegetables from a stand outside our house: sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Working at Farm Bureau I’ve learned so much just talking with members in the field — their fields!
I got my media technology degree from Lansing Community College, started a small business filming weddings and it took off. I’ve been at Farm Bureau almost 20 years now, about the first half on the insurance side before moving to the farm side. I always wanted to work in the video department; now I’m senior video producer and get to bounce all over the state, capturing through the camera lens our members telling their stories.
Outside agriculture I really enjoy coaching my son’s baseball team and enjoy watching our kids rise up in sports. I hang out with my family and friends, snowboard, watch pretty much all Spartan sports, play guitar, attend as many concerts as humanly possible and work on my own film projects. But in the last few years my favorite thing to do has been cooking. I bought a smoker a few years back and have become kind of a grill master, constantly trying new recipes. The neighbors love me!
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