Q: What was growing up like for you?

A: Farmtastic! I grew up in a farm town with a population of less than 3,000 people in the middle of Illinois. I spent the winters playing basketball and the summers playing baseball, watching the Cubs, and walking beans—you walk up and down soybean fields pulling up weeds. Bored teenagers are much cheaper than herbicide.

Q; What was college like for you?

A: It was culture shock at first.  There were more people in my wing of my dorm than there were in my entire town growing up. I spent most of my non-school time at the fraternity house, attending sporting events or playing intramural sports.

Q: Who was a big influence in your career?

A: It was my accounting professor Steve Welter. He told me that I had a lot of potential and that I should be acing his class. I completed his class with an A, took three more of his classes and decided that accounting was it for me.

Q: What attracted you to Lord & Lasker?

A: The ad business has always held a mystique for me, so when they offered me the job, I jumped at the chance.  

Q: What driving career goals do you still have?

A: My CPA.  I want it.  Badly.  And then my goal is to have as short a career as possible while still being able to retire comfortably.

Q: What’s your favorite sports team?

A: The Chicago Cubs. How many teams can go 100 years without a championship and continue to pack their stadium?  Cub fans are a special breed.  And there is no better way to spend an August day than sitting in Wrigley wearing a Sandberg, Banks or Santo jersey sipping an Old Style.

Q: What are your favorite internet sites?

A: Epicurious.com, bleedcubbieblue.com, engadget.com