I was born and raised in Jupiter, FL and still live there today. I attended Palm Beach Atlantic College in West Palm Beach, FL and graduated in 1998 with a BS in Finance and Management. I had big aspirations of a career in the finance field. I remember my dad sitting me down one day and telling me “Son, you can hire an accountant and a financial advisor. The one person you can’t hire is the one to run your own business”. As luck would have it, he was right.
While still in high school I started working summers as a pipe layer at my dad’s underground utility construction business. He handed me a hard hat and a pair of gloves, paid me minimum wage and told me to go make something of myself. I continued to learn the trade throughout college along with learning the art of cost estimating, bidding and project management. When I graduated college, my dad hired me as a full time estimator. For 10 years, I served as a vice president. It was then time for a change. I was always fascinated with the product distribution side of our industry. In 2007 I resigned from the family business and started my career in the wholesale distribution of waterworks and infrastructure products.
Just after graduating from college, I married my wife Carrie. We have 2 daughters, Avery and Emily, who are the inspiration behind the AVEM name.
