General Info

Growing up as a member of a family business is a special joy, with many challenges to go along with it. My remembrances are somewhat poignant, as I might have been a lifetime member of our family business, if not for a minor misunderstanding with my Dad. But it all turned out well, as I gained other great work experiences along the way and have worked for a number of years with my brother, Roger as a consultant to the heavy-highway contracting business Dad started years ago. At the time of my mid-life career change, I decided to become a mediator, and ended up specializing in family businesses and partnerships, due to my interest and experience with closely held businesses. In addition, I had developed executive and business skills along the way in different arenas that allowed me to understand and analyze situations in unique ways. To enhance my skills, I added to my engineering degree a master's degree in management and a master's degree in counseling, plus training and certification in mediation. As my consulting practice developed, I saw the need to prevent as well as resolve disputes, and so got training in meeting facilitation and teambuilding. So I am prepared to deal with a wide array of challenges facing members of closely held businesses through individual coaching, succession planning, teambuilding or mediation of disputes.