I strive to live my life according to a simple motto: “At the end of the day, do what’s right.” It’s an attitude that was inspired by my parents, cemented throughout my career, and how I approach every client and task.
I am proud to have been raised by hardworking parents. My father was a foreman at GE for more than 30 years, and my mother was a school nurse. Together they made it their life’s work to providing a private college education for me and my three siblings. It was a mission that required sacrifice – but for them, it was the right thing to do.
After I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Rochester Institute of Technology, I followed my interest in public accounting and joined the team at Price Waterhouse (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers), where I rose to a senior management position before I decided to make the move to a CFO position back home in Central New York. I went on to serve as Treasurer for the North American operations of a multinational manufacturing company. It was there that I met the man that demonstrated to me that doing what’s right is more than just words. My immediate supervisor, the company’s CFO, was consistent in his approach that, no matter how much more difficult it made the task at hand, “at the end of the day, you always do the right thing”.
When the company moved the Treasurer position to Hartford, I began searching for a position that offered the independence I craved and the opportunity to draw on my financial background while still following in my parents’ footsteps of helping others. The perfect fit came when I opened the upstate New York branch of Madison Planning Group in 2007. When I first talked to a friend about moving into financial services, he told me that I was starting late in life. What he didn’t understand was that I’m not in this business to impress anyone. I’m still the same conservative CPA with a simple lifestyle and one goal: to do what’s right for my clients.
As a proud native of Syracuse, I am a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy, and my wife Sally and my daughter Megan both graduated from West Genesee High School. Because I feel a commitment to serve others, I have also had the pleasure of serving on the Board of Directors and Finance Committees for several area nonprofit organizations.