Personal
- Born in Gary.
- Grew up in Hobart.
- Took the bus as a child from Hobart to downtown Gary to shop.
- Senate Page for Senator Adam Benjamin.
- Eagle Scout.
- Worked while in high school, including as a lifeguard at Hobart YMCA, Robinson Lake, East Gary Pool and Merrillville Holiday Inn.
- Graduate of Hobart High School.
- Member of Local 81 Laborer's Union. Worked on a variety of projects including blast furnace relining at Bethlehem Steel.
- Graduated with a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Purdue University in West Lafayette.
- Married my wife Leni, who grew up in Gary and Merrillville. We settled in Hobart.
Professional
- Worked for Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh right out of college.
- Managed Luigi's Pizza restaurants in Hobart, Glen Park, Miller and Portage.
- Earned my Indiana Real Estate Broker's License.
- Bought, remodeled and resold foreclosed homes in Gary and Lake Station.
- Taught myself computer programming.
- Joined a software startup in Northbrook.
- Moved to Ogden Dunes.
- Started Vinzant Software in 1988.
- Graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Harold Washington College - City Colleges of Chicago.
- Retired from Vinzant Software in 2022.
Public Service
- Served on Hobart's Plan Commission as Secretary and Vice President.
- Served as Hobart's 4th District City Councilman for 16 years.
- Served as Hobart's Council President.
- Served as a Board Member for the Hobart Chamber of Commerce.
- Served as President of the School City of Hobart Educational Foundation.
- Serves as the Treasurer of Hobart Industrial Economic Development Corp.
- Ran for the Indiana State Senate in 2012 against Earline Rogers and Darren Washington.
- Worked to promote the need for the County Option Income Tax across Lake County.
- Served as Hobart Democratic Precinct Committeeman.
- Served as a delegate to the Indiana State Democratic Convention.
- Served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
- Served as President of 16 Plus, an organization of cities and towns in Lake County.
- Received the 'Service To Labor' award from the NW Indiana Building Trades Council.
- Associate member of the United Steel Workers Union.
- An Indiana Advisory Committee Member for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.
- Worked downstate with Republicans and Democrats to solve the Southlake Mall tax problem for the City of Hobart and Merrillville Schools.