About Me
Politically:
I am a constitutional conservative.
My political views are derived from a deep respect of the men and women that came before us.
What they fought for, in the way of Independence and liberty, is not lost on me. I have discovered that the founding principle of liberty resonates with everyone, regardless of party affiliation or cultural differences.
Personally:
I am a Christian and the luckiest man I know. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for almost 21 years, and we have 3 wonderful children.
I was born "oil field trash" in Baytown, Texas and spent the first 10 years of my life in a neighborhood built by Humble Oil Company. If you are old enough, you may remember these tiny home neighborhoods referred to as "Humble Camps".
Except for a couple of years in the 70s, when I lived in Alaska while my father worked on the Alaskan Pipeline, I have always lived in Texas.
I worked summers in the oil fields around Rusk County and graduated from West Rusk High School in New London, Texas in 1984. I attended Kilgore Junior College and Southwest Texas State University (Texas State).
During my junior year at SWTSU, I took an operators position at the ARCO refinery in Pasadena where I worked shift work for over 13 years. While at the refinery, I married, had 2 children and in 1996, started Diamond K Equipment Inc. I also steer wrestled at the time and my first real trip to Liberty County was in 1993 when I competed in the Dairy Day Rodeo in Cleveland.
We moved the family to Tarkington Prairie in Liberty County in 1997, and shortly after 9/11, I left the refinery to run our business full time. Our 3rd child arrived in 2006.
For over a decade, our business has specialized in bridge construction. We have built bridges all over Texas, primarily for the Texas Department of Transportation, from Amarillo to Beaumont and all points in between. My monthly trips to TxDOT in Austin over the years have given me a special perspective on the Texas budget and economy.
My wife and I have been avid supporters of our community sports associations and I have been known to coach a little baseball.