Prior to joining Andy Barrett in forming Perihelion Solar, he developed a diverse background. As a young man he served as a wireman becoming a licensed electrician in Arkansas and New Mexico. He served in the US Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer retiring as a Captain. He worked for Arkansas Nuclear One as a nuclear chemist. He joined Arkansas Tech University as a faculty member, while there he obtained his PhD in electrochemistry from U of A, and retired from ATU as a Visiting Professor of Chemistry.