My wife, Tish, and I moved to Hawaii from Los Angeles to attend Chaminade College. After receiving an undergraduate degree in pre-med, I worked as a technologist at St. Francis Hospital. But in 1980 I was finding my love for my woodworking hobby was pulling me away from my job. So I quit working at the hospital and we dove into woodworking full time.
With Tish handling most of the production items, such as jewelry boxes and hand mirrors, I concentrated on designing and building furniture. We worked craft fairs for several years, supporting our family with sales of the production pieces and building up interest in our furniture by showing our portfolio. In 1986, our goal of building furniture full time was realized and we were able to drop the production pieces and leave the craft-fair circuit.
For 35 years in Hawaii, Tish and I, along with our son Daniel (joined us after he graduated from college) built a successful business, specializing in custom furniture, doors and kitchens.