(Photo to come)
Were you born in Bluffton? Did your family always live on the nature preserve?
Yes, Bluffton Hospital. My first memories are of the house we lived in on Riley Street, down by the entrance to the Buckeye Park. I also remember riding big wheels on the sidewalks with the Agner boys. I'm not exactly sure when we moved to the Preserve, sometime in the early '80s. Anyways, mom and dad are going on 25+ years out there.
What was it like growing up way down that long, long lane, with a big barn, fields, the creek, and the nature preserve?
We had fun. Lots of time spent climbing trees, games in the yard, mowing mile after mile of the hiking trails. We ate a lot of green apples, played cowboys and Indians, and spied on the occasional hiker. It was a pretty carefree childhood and my siblings and I were fortunate in that regard.
Did you have to walk to meet the bus - even in the coldest days of winter?
The lane was exactly 1/2 mile long so I should have some good stories about walking barefoot in the snow to the bus but I didn't have it that rough. I did walk to the bus sometimes, but it wasn't an everyday thing. The lane was handy for baseball and soccer conditioning, made measuring my runs easy.
You were homeschooled until what year? Share some of your memories of being homeschooled. Advantages/disadvantages?
Through 6th grade. 7th grade was my first year of public school. The daily routine was a definite bonus. I typically worked on my studies from 8:30 until lunchtime. As long as I was done with my assignments for the day, the afternoon was mine. Since all my friends were still in school until mid-afternoon and my parents didn't believe in DishTV, I got pretty good at entertaining myself. I won't fill you in on all the gory details, but let's just say Renee has enjoyed hearing about some of the corny ways I passed the time. A definite advantage was that I was able to learn at my own pace and work independently. Since we had a 5:1 student to teacher ratio I also had help readily available. The main disadvantage was definitely social. I had good guy friends since I played baseball from T-ball on up. I did not, however, have many close girl friends and when I hit 7th grade, I realized half the students were girls, and 90% of them were taller than me. Other than that, homeschooling was a positive experience for me. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone but that's another topic.
When you began public school, were you ready for it? Was there a transitional period or did you immediately feel comfortable?
I was ready except for figuring out some of the school lingo I wasn't used to hearing. For example, I experienced my first pop quiz in Mrs. Bourassa's (Jackie) history class. She asked the first question out loud and since I had never heard of a pop quiz before (I can't deny that I was a little sheltered) I raised my hand and answered the question for the class...I think I did get the question right. I had also never heard of covering a textbook before so I assumed that meant I was supposed to skim the entire book over the weekend. I don't think I ever finished that assignment.
I assume you already had friends from town and church. Did you play sports at an early age or how did you meet other kids?
I grew up at First Mennonite Church and later St. Johns Mennonite in Pandora. I also played baseball through high school. So I ran around with Tim Thompson, Joel Steiner, Seth Weisenbarger, Alison (King) and Ben Luginbuhl, and many others. In Little League, Joel and I were the shortest starting pitchers Bluffton had ever seen.
You were on the homecoming court in high school, correct? When was that?
Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Sophomore and senior. Those pictures of me were very forgettable. I think I was on the court because I was likeable and not because I had any fashion sense. Let's move on...
When did you meet your wife, Renee?
7th grade, first day of school. Did I mention I was intimidated by girls? Especially pretty ones? She and I were locker buddies all the way through school. My parents would call this providential. I probably nodded at her or something like that initially and probably said hi sometime during the first week of school (Renee is now reading my answers and said I never spoke to her during the first week of school, go figure). She, on the other hand, was a very friendly and bubbly person who was friends with everyone. I didn't have a chance. We ended up being high school sweethearts.
After high school, you went off to Anderson University, where you majored in, of all things, English. How did you get from the English department to a career in banking?
Poor career planning. I didn't do a good job of thinking through life after college and I started working at a community bank in Anderson during my last semester in school just because it was available and fit my schedule (and we were a young married couple looking for insurance and Domino's Pizza wasn't a long term solution). I took advantage of a few good opportunities and the rest is history.
When and where did you complete your MBA?
I had some catching up to do in terms of understanding the business world so I went back to Anderson University while I was working at Madison Community Bank. My first day of MBA classes was the first day I had ever set foot in the School of Business at AU so that should tell you something about an English major and banking. I finished my degree the year after our middle daughter, Olivia, was born. I'm glad I did it, but I'm also glad it's over. And Renee put up with a lot so I could finish when I did.
What brought you back to Bluffton? Did you think you'd end up back here someday?
Renee and I never thought we'd be back but Bluffton always intrigued us and our girls changed our perspective as well. We were ready to leave Anderson back in '06 and so we figured it was now or never. Can't promise we'll be here forever, but it's been a great place to raise a family and we've had fun reconnecting with Blufftonites.
What exactly do you do at Pandora First National?
I work primarily with small businesses in Bluffton and surrounding communities but I also work with our branch managers and the rest of the sales team. The great thing about a small community bank is that I get to work in several different areas and I actually feel like the contributions I make to the bank are noticeable. I've really enjoyed the bank and the people I work with on a daily basis.
You have three adorable and very bright daughters. Tell me about them.
Very fun and very different. Clara's the oldest and is the reason we've been in over our heads since the beginning of parenthood. She is smart, stubborn, athletic, and shy in front of people. Olivia is independent, sensitive, musical and equally unique. Nora is a fun combination of the first two and she and Clara look quite a bit alike but she's definitely her own little character. She may be just a bit spoiled...I'm guessing there will never be a dull moment here as the girls get older.
What do you do when you're not embroiled in the world of banking? Are you coaching soccer yet?
I love sports--just ask Renee--and I'd play them all if I had 40 hours in a day. I read (lately more news and banking stuff) and keep in shape by running when I have a free hour. I would love to coach soccer but haven't since my Anderson days just because life is busy and getting busier. I'm hoping there will be more time for that at some point.
What is an ideal weekend like for you and your family?
Wake up nice and slow with a pot of coffee and doughnuts from Community Markets. Hang with the girls during the day, and then date night with Renee. More of the same Sunday with maybe an indoor soccer game at the BFR thrown in to top it all off.
