1. I am a recent transplant from Charleston, SC to the Chicago area, although I was born in
and spent the first seven years of my life in the here (Hammond and Munster, IN to be precise).
For most of my professional career, over 11 years, I have been a bartender in a nice-casual
dining restaurant named Poogan’s Porch in Charleston and found the experience exhilarating and
rewarding. I loved the fast pace, the interaction with customers from all over the United States,
and especially knowing that I contributed to our guests’ enjoyable experiences. I also picked up
a good bit of knowledge regarding beer, wine and liquor and mixology. This job was probably
my favorite of all.
While at Poogan’s I:
 Had great fun interacting with customers and serving them in a pleasant manner
 Created house cocktail lists with southern themes
 Contributed to the revision of the beer list to include more trending micro and
craft beer
 Helped maintain and inventory a 200+ wine list assembled by our
owner/sommelier
 Instituted an inventory and reorder protocol for beer, liquor and mixers
 Was exposed to the culinary expertise of our Executive Chef (I don’t claim to be a
chef, but I learned quite a bit)
 Handled cash and credit transaction in a courteous and efficient manner.
Of course there were myriad other duties involved, but this list is a good basic run-down.
After Poogan’s, I decided to try my hand at retail sales, just to get an idea of how that
works and compares to food and beverage. The store that I worked for, Total Wine and More
still had a beverage-centric theme. It is basically a grocery store sized venue that sells nothing
but wine, beer and liquor. Although after a few years I eventually decided that I liked restaurant
work better, Total Wine offered me great learning opportunities. They provided specialized

2. classes on wine, beer and liquor, and I now know more than I really need to. “What grape goes
into a red wine from Burgundy?” “How is scotch made?” “What is the legal definition of
bourbon?” I know the answers to all of these questions and a lot more. It’s great for running the
Potent Potables category on Jeopardy.
Total Wine also had a great rotating selection of draft beer on a 12 tap growler station
which exposed me to many brews that are not available in other formats because of limited
production and lack of bottling or canning facilities. I was able to sample some of these and sell
them to customers. Again, the customer interaction was my favorite part of the job.
While at Total Wine and More I:
 Provided excellent customer service including the special ordering of products we
did not regularly carry but had access to.
 Conducted inventory and restocking duties
 Sold specific brands of liquor according to company policy (not big names, but
some really good stuff)
There were many other random duties…they kept me busy
I guess I probably should have gone through these jobs in chronological order, but I opted
to put them out there according to relevance to each other.
The other big part of my life was a six-year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps.
I enlisted when I was 17 and right out of high school. In fact, I graduated a year early and had to
have my parents sign away their parental rights so that I could join at that age. I went to boot
camp in Parris Island, SC and was eventually stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. I was trained as
an infantryman, but ended up being selected for a small unit that operated various boats for uses
ranging from defense and security to troop transport in both riverine and ocean environments. I

3. went to coxswain school at the Little Creek Naval Base in Virginia where I learned maintenance
of the boats, navigation (this was before GPS was relevant) and operation of the craft.
For the last two years of my enlistment I served as the administration chief for our
company of Marines (basically the head administrative assistant). This threw me into a whole
new world of word processing, spreadsheets, government forms other clerical work. I also
learned the value of the old adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Even in the
military, if you want to get administrative tasks done in the fastest way possible you have to
know and develop relationships with the people in other offices who can expedite the processing
of various forms, requests and documents (i.e. if there is a problem with Private Jones’ check,
talk to Corporal Smith at payroll, she’ll help just because you are asking).
Aside from all the technical skills I learned, I was also afforded the opportunity to visit
Panama, El Salvador and Argentina as a small craft operator. Cultures vary widely depending on
global location, economic status and societal mores, and it was a great pleasure to experience
these differences.
Probably the most important benefit from my service is the long-lasting friendships
(some for 20+ years). I have two friends from the service who I can call or email anytime and it
is like we have never been separated, even though I have not physically seen them in years.
While in the Marines I:
 Operated and maintained 18 foot Boston Whalers used for troop transport
 Learned and performed tactics both for land and water implementation
 Learned the intrinsic value of teamwork

4.  Achieved a high competency of technical skill in clerical and administrative
procedures
 Performed a wide assortment of other duties ranging from security to barracks
Maintenance
After being honorably discharged at the rank of sergeant from of the Marines, I pursued
my education at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC while working various part-time
jobs. I found that I had a love of language and literature, so I majored in English. To some this
sounds like an impractical course of study, but I would argue that the student of English
literature learns so much more than just the writings of Shakespeare and Hemingway. Of course
the degree requires excellent written communication skills, but it also teaches history, politics,
philosophy, ethics and different societal views throughout time. Additionally, it requires the
student to learn to construct well written and structured arguments with supporting evidence and
technical documentation. We weren’t all just sitting around drinking coffee, wearing berets and
spouting poetry. Don’t get me wrong, I like poetry.
As a corollary to English, I earned a minor in Communications with a focus on media
studies. My studies ranged from newspaper and magazine editing to ethics in the media and
opinion writing (newspaper op-eds, and editorials). The last was particularly interesting because
it was not taught by an academic, but by a gentleman with much real-world experience in
newspaper writing.
I still love to write and edit. Sometimes I find myself mentally correcting ads, fliers and
other copy.
At the College of Charleston I:
 Earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a 3.8 GPA
 Earned a Minor in Communication with a focus on Media Studies

5.  Participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research project aiding a professor in
research for a later published book
 Served as secretary of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society
 Was published in Chrestomathy, an undergraduate academic publication
During the short interims between the jobs and accomplishments listed above, I also
worked as a concrete laborer, a marina attendant and a roofer. Roofing houses in Charleston in
the middle of August is very hot and no fun. I interned at Charleston Magazine for three months
after graduation, editing various articles and contributing short informational pieces. I hoped to
get a paying job at the magazine, but there were several senior interns in line for one available
position, so I focused my efforts on full-time bartending.
During my personal time, I still enjoy literature, but I also have a guilty pleasure for
science fiction films and television. I am an admitted Star Wars geek, although I do not think I
would attend Comic-Con. I attempt to play guitar and write songs, but I am by no means a
virtuoso or lyricist…I do it for my own pleasure and if someone else is entertained by it, then
that is great. I look forward to my first real winter in many years (there is not much snow in
South or North Carolina), even though I realize that it has some definite downsides.