Just starting my new gig, but looking forward to it, union job with good benefits and decent pay, Monday - Friday, no more weekend for me... :) Update - I'm enjoying the job, still in training and won't have my own route for a few more weeks yet. Having to get up at 3:00am to be at the warehouse at 4:00am, pretty drastic change, but I like it so far. We'll see how the rest of my training goes...

After 3 stressful seasons with the markets, it is time to re-route and find a new path. However, during that 3 years I managed all 4 of the Hillsboro Farmers' Markets, hired staff for various positions, repaired and improved business relationships, managed a $150,000 budget (cut expenses by 50% in my first year), built and developed relationships with various organizations (Hillsboro School District, Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce Events, Hillsboro Food Co-Op, City of Hillsboro) to ensure an active community, worked with a Board of Directors to create a thriving group of Markets and was generally a "Jack-of-All-Trades" kind of guy in the Farmers' Market world.

As the Parish Life Coordinator I have the pleasure of developing small events for the Parish, from a Parish Campout and Family Movie Night to an all day outing trip to a local Casino for Seniors in our Parish.

In 2012 my wife and I were the Co-chairs for the Annual St. Matthew School Auction. With a fantastic team of volunteers we were able to raise just over $165,000 for the school. This year, we're hoping to raise at least $180,000. Having been involved in this particular auction for nearly 10 years in various positions and levels, I have a well rounded understanding of how auctions work and what it takes to get the money in the door.

Managed the whole event, from top to bottom and everything in between. Coordinated volunteers for in-market events, set-up and take-down of event, office work. Coordinated vendors for the market, over 400 vendors in the database, managing on average over 75 vendors at any given time. Produced marketing and advertising campaigns for the market and worked with an independent Public Relations firm for various news articles, calander updates and radio appearances. Booked weekly entertainment for both markets (the Hillsboro Farmers' Markets now boasts 4 markets). Managed accounts payable and accounts receivable while handling payroll for employees. Worked with a Board of Directors to ensure the mission of the Farmers' Market was present in everything we did.

Managed the event from top to bottom, with an average participation of approximately 7000 people everyweek. Coordinated all volunteers (approximately 30+ on any given week). Coordinated all vendors, including more than a dozen hot food vendors, charities, processed foods, crafters and farmers. Booked music acts for main stage and personally negotiated all contracts with music acts. Solicited for and managed all sponsors for the event with a range from Solar World and Bank of America down to the smaller businesses on Main Street. Created marketing plans and developed advertising campaigns while working with an independent Public Relations firm for newspaper and radio. Worked with a professional Board of Directors to ensure the success of each season and to further the mission of the event.