Michael was born and raised on a centennial farm just west of Cissna Park IL. He graduated from Cissna Park High School in 1976 and Trinity College in Deerfield, IL with a degree in Psychology in 1980. Upon graduation he married his wife, Ilene, and took a job in retail management.  This position took them to several locations in the Midwest, and ultimately to Phoenix AZ where he opened and managed a store for several years.

Michael decided to make a career change due to the demands of retail management and landed a job with AARP/Colonial Penn Insurance in Phoenix where he worked as a Property and Casualty, CSR and eventually Underwriter Supervisor. During this time he also earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Western International University in Phoenix.

In 1993 his family led him back to Illinois to manage his family farm and he became involved in Crop Insurance and he has specialized in the field since joining the team at Compass Insurance Partners ten years ago.