I have always had a passion for business and entrepreneurship – and fortunately, I’d met a kindred spirit at the age of 15. Tom Wallace and I started our first business together as soon as we left college and by the time I was 28 years old, we had a buyer knocking on our door. We sold the company and were quickly on to the next business. Thus began a business partnership that has endured, in one form or another, for most of my career. In 1981, I received my BS from The Pennsylvania State University, and in 1982 was co-founder and COO of that first business, Waldec Systems – a successful systems integration company that merged with Monterey Microsystems to form Monterey – Waldec in 1986. All financial and operating functions reported to me and the company was sold to Intelligent Electronics in 1988.
Tom and I then founded The Waldec Group – another systems integration company headquartered in Tampa - as a spinoff from Monterey – Waldec. The Waldec Group subsequently grew to 7 locations in Florida and Pennsylvania, and the company recorded over $80 million in revenues with over 300 employees when we sold it to IKON Office Solutions in 1997. During that time I was once again responsible for all financial and operating functions. As part of the purchase agreement I continued to work for IKON from 1998 through 2002 – eventually as the CFO of the Technology Services Division - where I was responsible for overseeing the integration of over 40 companies that were acquired by our division within IKON.
I then founded Waldec and Associates, LLC in 2002 as an accounting and financial services company in order to oversee the accounting of small companies - most of which I have made a personal investment in and/or have an ownership interest in. Waldec & Associates is located in Murrysville, PA and continues to provide these services today.
At the same time, I made the personal decision to venture into a business away from the traditional corporate environment and moved into real estate development and residential construction. I remain the managing partner of both Rivendell Development, LP, a single-family residential development in Penn Township, PA; and SummerHill Development LP, a high-end multifamily residential project in Murrysville, PA. In addition, in 2003, I founded Waldec Homes, LLC, a residential home building company in Pittsburgh. I learned (and continue to learn) the ins and outs of becoming a successful residential builder / developer.
In 2008, however, the opportunity presented itself for me to get involved in a promising enterprise and back into the exciting small-business corporate world. When Tom asked me to come on board at Care2Learn as CFO, I was both excited to join forces yet again with my business partner and energized by the company’s promising growth potential and business model. Online education fills an expanding need and offers the opportunity for innovation, two critical components on any business playing field.
On the personal side – I serve on the finance committee for the Oakmont Country Club and am an active member of the cheering section for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates. I enjoy family time with my wife, Angela, and my five children: Dylan, Kelsey, Keyern, Colin, and Kerrianne (three of whom are now attending college!). I love to travel and enjoy playing basketball and golf as well as skiing and hiking.