Thanks for visiting my little corner of the web. These pages are updated on a somewhat reguar basis. The links for "Local Pages" are pages I have created. They contain all things about or related to me. Items like my resume, my interests, projects I have been involved, places I have visited and automobiles I have owned. "Linked Pages" are a list of links I like to visit regularly. Feel free to browse them, as you may find out something new.
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Home is currently Hartland, Wisconsin, 30 minutes west of Milwaukee and I am working for Power Test, Inc. Feel free to contact me if you are in the area and would like to visit. Chicago is only a couple hours away and Milwaukee is just down the road. There is lots to see and do here and I always enjoy having guests.
My contact information is listed on the link to the left. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments about this site.
2014 was a busy year for me with up and downs, but things are ending on a positive note and I am looking ahead to 2015!
At Power Test, we were once again very busy. I had fewer trips this year as we have transitioned most of the startups to the service department, but I did squeeze in a few. We released some new products and have continued to make some of the best Engine Dynos, Transmission Dynos and Hydraulic Test Centers in the Industry. Our continued product development, drive to make our products better and having the best customer service in the industry has definitely helped keep us on top. We are growing and looking to add more people and 2015 will be another big year. We have a great team of people and our continued success is a reflection of that.
I ended this year being single again. Unfortunately when two people are not on the same page, it is best to move on. Things ended amicably and it looks like I may have some opportunities to meet someone new. Wish me luck!
This year I continued as Chairman of the Milwaukee SAE Section. This is by far one of the best professional engineering organizations I have ever been involved in. Locally we focus on supporting the 6 engineering colleges in our area as well as providing plant tours and speakers for all of our professional members. It has been a pleasure to become involved with a great group of people and be able to see some of the exciting things going on in the Milwaukee and Fox Valley area. I attended the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge in northern Michigan this year. It is a competition between engineering colleges to make a cleaner snowmobile and they compete on a variety of events from emissions, handling, cold starting, and durability. It was great to be involved as a sponsor from the Milwaukee SAE Section and did give me the opportunity to rent and ride a snowmobile in some awesome snowmobile terrain. I am still involved in Toastmasters and recently volunteered to mentor a new club starting at Quad Graphics in Sussex. I will attend their meetings for six month and help them get there club off the ground. I am still involved with my home club in Waukesha and I am proud to be a member with a great group of people.
I have continued to be active with Big Brothers Big Sister and am still mentoring David from Waukesha. He turned 16 this year and I do believe he is as tall as me now. He did get his temps and has been driving a bit. He is a great kid and we always have fun when we get together. I think the highlight from the summer was taking him to the Russell Military Museum for his birthday. It's more or less a military junkyard with a small display inside, but he thought it was great to sit in some old aircraft and military trucks. It's hard to believe it's been over 6 years that we've been matched. I look forward to continue mentoring him in the coming years.
The home projects never seem to end. I finished up some detail work in the shop which included cabinet doors and building a set of cabinets in the back area. After the roller coaster ride of propane prices last year I decided to spend the money and convert over to natural gas. This involved having gas run to the house and then through the house and out to the shop. The good news is that now I can convert the house over to natural gas from fuel oil at any time. The bad news is that natural gas boilers seem very expensive. At any rate so far the cost of keeping my shop warm when I am out there is much lower than with propane. After last year's cold winter, I decided I bet add insulation to the house. i spent about two weeks in May adding 12 inches of rolled insulation to the house attic as well as adding temperature controlled attic vent fans. It made a noticeable difference over the summer and so far it looks to be helping this winter. I also bought a small garden shed to keep all the lawn and yard equipment in. This is great as there is no more smelly lawnmower in my shop. I landscaped it in nicely as well as finished a few more landscaping project on either end of the house. Next year I want to deal with the old wire fence that runs alongside the east side of the property. Projects never end.
I did also compete in the WI Tough Mudder for the second year. We had a team of about 20 from Power Test and all survived. It was at Road America this year and there was a lot more up and down hills and sharp rocks over the 11 mile course. As sick as it sounds, I am looking forward to next year and doing it for a 3rd time.
There were no new vehicles this year. My 2003 Silverado SS has been running good and I have no real complaints about it (other than possibly the fuel economy, which really is about as expected). Check out pics of it on my Automobiles page.
That's about all I have for now. Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for visiting my little corner of the web. These pages are updated on a somewhat reguar basis. The links for "Local Pages" are pages I have created. They contain all things about or related to me. Items like my resume, my interests, projects I have been involved, places I have visited and automobiles I have owned. "Linked Pages" are a list of links I like to visit regularly. Feel free to browse them, as you may find out something new. 
