Occupation: I am an IBM federal pricing manager. I work with the federal accounts in Bethesda, Md. I have been living there during the week and commuting back just for the weekends for two years, but that assignment is over now. I just have to go down to Bethesda about three times a month and I’m working out of my house now, which is pretty nice.

Family: My wife Claudia and I just celebrated our 27th anniversary. Our son Nicholas is 22 and has just graduated from Virginia Tech and has his first job as a computer programmer in Richmond. Our daughter Claudia is 16 and a junior at Newtown High School.

Pets: We have two pets. Dixie is a beagle and she is about 3 years old. Ace, our cat, is 9 years old.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We came here in 1989 from Tampa, Fla., so we’ve been here for 17 years. I practically feel like a townie now.

What do you like to do in your free time? I pretty much just work around the house. I appreciate the ability to create things with my hands and it’s a good change from the work I usually do. I like to fish and I like to watch sports, especially college football.

Do you have a favorite team? Oh, yes. That would be the University of Florida ‘Gators. Both Claudia and I graduated from the Gainesville campus.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? My favorite destination on a business trip is Hong Kong. That’s a pretty cool place. When we’re on vacation we usually go down to Florida to visit family. Both our families are mostly all down south. We like to just hang out on the beaches and relax.

What is the best thing about Newtown? Newtown is a great place to raise a family. We have great schools and great people here. We’ve met a lot of nice people here and made a lot of good friends.

If you could spend a day with anyone, who would that be? I think I would want to spend a day with my dad. He just recently passed away. He was very modest and hardworking and dedicated his life to his family. He had five kids and we’re all pretty successful because of him and my mom. He was just a great guy. I donated one of my kidneys to my dad 25 years ago, so we kind of had a special connection.

Who would you say has most influenced you in your life? Probably my wife, Claudia. It’s just her everyday expectations of me. She’s my closest friend and I want to please her. Day to day, she has a good influence over me. My faith in Christ is also very important to me.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Work hard and stay close to your family and friends. That’s the most important thing.