I have been driven by a core belief that my mission in life is to improve the lives of others. To that end I have participated in, supported and contributed significantly to the arts and other charitable endeavors. Barter Your Way to Greater Wealth is the first book to be published from several I am writing that are in various stages of completion. This writing has allowed me to share a lifetime of business experience from a self help perspective, while focusing on the art of bartering, which is one of the top five elements in my business that propelled me to a successful career in multiple industries. I began my business endeavors in 1977 with my wife Joy and lots of support from my family. We have successfully operated several fine jewelry stores for almost four decades. The success I enjoyed in the jewelry business allowed me to build a real estate business, spend time producing movies (Snapshot, Rock Story, The Life Zone, The Great Fight, The Grand Theft and more) and venture into the restaurant business. I wrote the screenplay for the motion picture titled Snapshot which recently received worldwide distribution and was acclaimed for portraying "Best social issue in a feature film" by the Manhattan Film Festival. I have also collaborated on several other screenplays. I have been actively involved as a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary since 1992; contributing several thousand hours in support of the Coast Guard and its missions. I held elected offices for eight years and was awarded the medal of Operational Merit for my contributions in the post 9/11 era. I also volunteered and served as a Board Member and Treasurer for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund for seven years. I currently live on Long Island, New York. I enjoy motivating others, writing, boating, fishing and traveling.