Richard Corrigan, Jr.

I am fortunate to have been born into a large Irish-Catholic family. My mom always said she had five boys and one joy, that being my only sister. After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army at the conclusion of WW2 my father returned to Rochester, New York where he took up carpentry as a trade. Dad had befriended a fellow carpenter buddy who eventually introduced dad to his buddy’s pretty younger sister, and it wasn't long before mom and dad were married. Dad and his buddy, my uncle, built a sturdy custom home where us six kids grew up and my parents lived for more than sixty years until they were in their 90's. What a blessing it was to have had them both for so long!

Upon graduating high school I attended the State University of New York and later transferred to Rochester Institute of Technology, earning a BS in mechanical engineering. Between semesters I worked for my father who by then had his own business, Village Countertops, Inc., specializing in kitchen and bathroom remodeling. Over time I became skillful in the construction trades including general carpentry and cabinet making, plumbing and electrical. The skills and lessons my father taught me also made me a better engineer and a better man. Most importantly, both of my parents taught me to treat people with honesty and dignity.

I met my wife, Kelly, at the wedding of her girlfriend to my youngest brother. The first words Kelly spoke to me were "You look like trouble!" and I've been giving her trouble ever since. Shortly after our wedding we moved to the Chicago area where we lived for nearly thirty years and raised our two daughters, Natalie and Rachel.

Over the course of a 20+ year long engineering career I worked in research and product development, as well as program management and manufacturing support. Much of that focused in the areas of electronic printing as well as medical devices, where I have been granted several patents from the U.S. patent and trademark office. Eventually with the trend toward outsourcing of manufacturing overseas and domestic investment focused on information technology, fewer interesting opportunities were available within the field of mechanical engineering.

I returned to college at Northern Illinois University where I took coursework in physics, chemistry, mathematics and teaching methods; eventually completing requirements to teach physics and chemistry at the secondary (high school) level. However, my philosophy of personal responsibility was not well received by many within the public school system around Chicago. So my teaching career was not as long and fruitful as I had hoped it to be. I took a job managing the physical operations and maintenance of a 150 room senior living community for a few years.

We've done quite a bit of traveling over the past several years. I'm still able to and enjoy skiing in Colorado and playing golf, and I work out and swim to keep in shape. We purchased a home in Vero Beach, Florida a few years ago and we just love it here. With my knowledge of construction and building operations, I'm probably as well qualified to assess a piece of real estate as most people. So I studied and was recently certified as a real estate professional. I look forward to serving my clients well and faithfully.

Richard Corrigan