Grew up on a rural Fraser Valley chicken farm, 5th of of 7 children. Went to BCIT from 1978-1980 studying agricultural management. Volunteered with MCC in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1980-1983. Have worked for Green Valley Fertilizers, York Farms,BC Ministry of Agriculture. Spent 18 months working with Afghanistan refugees in Pakistan. In Pakistan we managed rehabilitation projects in Afghanistan, mostly in Kandahar and Helmand Province.We secured funding from World Relief, WFP, USAID, CIDA, Brot fur de Welt among many others. We supported projects such as road building, health centres, seed distribution, demining, Koochi animal vacination, cleaning water supplies among many other issues.Joined Richardson Seed in 1990 as a seed sales man. After RS was sold I co-founded Premier Pacific Seeds Ltd., now the largest BC seed company dedicated to only seed.