Early Years
I was raised in the shadow of the Pentagon in Alexandria, Virginia in 1967, the son of a preacher and a special-ed teacher. I am a 1986 graduate of TC Williams High School, the school featured in the movie Remember the Titans. As a kid, I spent a large part of my time with the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Life at Sea
Having grown up in a military heavy community, I set my sites on serving and headed to the US Naval Academy after High School. Following graduation the Academy, I served aboard the USS ELROD (FFG 55) which included deploying in support of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Operation Sharp Guard (Balkans) in 1993, and the Operation Support Democracy (Haiti) in 1994.
Road to Columbus
Following the Navy, I went to business school at the University of South Carolina which led to a job in the production department at AUDI in Ingolstadt, Germany. Throw in a chance encounter with a young lady named Kathja, and next thing you know I had three children and was driving a minivan. While work at AUDI was great, I itched to be part of a smaller company and joined the Swiss based Georg Utz Group. At Utz, I led their market entry into the United States which brought us to Columbus in 2003.
Hoosier Life
Twenty plus years later, Kathja and I can still be found on Junco Drive, where we raised our twin sons Finn and Jannis, and daughter Johanna. Over the last two decades in Indiana, I have run three factories, worked in City Hall for seven years as MPO Director, and four at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Kathja has been serving as a preschool teacher at our church since our arrival in Columbus.
Final military chapter
In 2005 I joined the Indiana Army National Guard. I deployed with the 76th Infantry Brigade in 2008 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and with the 38th Sustainment Brigade in 2018 returned for a third deployment to the Middle East to support Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2022. We are proud to say our son Finn is carrying the torch of Anderson military service into the fourth generation.
years military service
11
years City & State service
12
years manufacturing experience
25
