A native of New York, I hold a degree in US History and education. Having worked my way through college managing a retail store, I developed a passion for and enjoyed the retail environment so greatly that I pursued a career in management in lieu of education. A choice I've never regretted. I retired from a 40 plus year career as a mid-level manager for 5 leading World class companies and am proud of my career choice and the successes I was able to achieve. I measure my success in that role based upon the results achieved with those same enterprises and the successes realized by the employees I've led. Just as important to me are the life-long relationships built with those very same team members and co-workers. If you set an example worthy of being followed than you are a true leader.