About

My mom, Jenny, was killed in a car wreck when I was two years old near Macon Mo, close to where we lived at the time.  I’ve always had a hard time with people who disrespect their moms as a result of her loss.  My dad was training to become a plumber then and soon thereafter started his own plumbing business in Keytesville Mo.  He ran that business for several years and unfortunately developed a drinking problem, most likely from the stressors of running a business, raising three boys and dealing with the depression of losing his wife.  He never remarried.  After several years of him struggling with the addiction, and within the first month of attending my fifth-grade class at Keytesville Elementary, my two brothers and I were moved to our grandparent’s, George and Dorotha Burkhart, home in Brunswick or be potentially placed in the foster care system.  Realizing the importance of the foster care program later on in life, my wife and I became emergency kinship foster care providers for over a dozen children of different ethnicities, ages and genders.  

My brothers and I were raised with our grandparents in a 12ft by 40ft trailer home, generally sleeping on the living room floor as there was little room for us and other relatives being cared for at the time.  My grandpa retired from “The Alfalfa Mill,” located in Brunswick, with a $50 per month pension, and along with that small stipend, a small amount of his Social Security and monies brought in from grandma’s odd jobs, we always had a roof over our heads and food on the table.  This isn’t to imply times weren’t tough, as we routinely had to have utility services disconnected and we boys were all forced to work mowing yards, shoveling snow, and helping Brunswick residents with miscellaneous tasks in order to raise money to buy our own clothes and other necessities.  Seeing the struggles our grandparents faced, all three of us were faced with moving from our home sooner than most youth.

I started working at King Hill Farms outside of Brunswick when I was fifteen, almost sixteen, hoeing melons, picking produce, working pecans and other farm related tasks after school, during weekends and summers.  I met one of the owner’s daughters, Paula Manson, we started dating and after six years of persuasion, by her I might add, we married.  As of this writing, Paula and I have been married for nearly thirty-six years, and along with the six years of dating have been together for now for almost forty-two years.

I graduated from Brunswick High School in 1987.  I was very active in sports (basketball, baseball and track) and served as sports co-captain my senior year.  I enjoyed being in the Future Farmers of America as an office holder as well as creed speaker, knowledge team member, Missouri State Fair produce exhibitor, Star Agribusinessman, second in state in forestry team competition, the Agribusiness Proficiency Award, State Farmer Award and much more.  I also served as our science club president during my senior year.

I graduated from Moberly Area Community College (MACC) in 1989 with an associate’s degree in business management with a marketing emphasis.  I was president of both the Distributive Education Clubs of America and Students in Free Enterprise organizations.  I was fortunate enough to have received awards in many competitions and debates.

My wife (girlfriend) graduated high school in 1989, and together we decided I would take two years off from college endeavors while she too attended MACC.  I worked at King Hill Farms during those first two years.  Once she finished at MACC, we moved to Columbia Mo, where she attended classes toward an elementary education degree.  We realized that both of us could not financially afford to both be in college at the same time.  I decided to attend evening courses at William Woods University (WWU) while working full-time as she finished her degree.

After several years of evening and adult education programs I graduated from WWU with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing obtaining a 4.0.  I then continued on through the same educational avenue to achieve a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) also obtaining a 4.0.  My association with WWU did not stop with the MBA, as eventually I was asked to become an adjunct professor for adult evening programs in the areas of business, marketing, organizational behavior, ethics, Capstone Project and more.  I continued to teach these courses for both the bachelor’s and master’s programs for nearly seven years.  I taught classes in the communities of Hannibal, Trenton, Chillicothe, Jefferson City, Columbia, Moberly and at the Thomas Hill Power Plant, while maintaining full-time employment.

In 2011, my daughter and I invented the Foul Ball Return Station, a product used in the softball and baseball sports.  After several years of successful regional sales the idea caught the attention of a major sports supply company based in Boston MA.  The Foul Ball Return Station is now sold exclusively through On-Deck Sports where thousands of units have sold as far away as New Zealand. I've had the opportunity to also develop the Garden Shark (a garden hoe with teeth) owned now by a company in Iowa, but I haven't seen production as of yet, and the Meter Reader Mate (aids in water meter reading) sold by myself and a couple of water supply companies.  I've also dabbled in writing, penning two novels (Judgement of Inquest and Code of Innocence (both based on local stories)) and a few childrens books geared toward agri-tourism.  None of these writings have been published, but one day may feel confident enough to do so.  Finally, also in 2011 one evening, my brother (Ray/Doc Burkhart) and I started all the county and city Facebook "swap shops," many years prior to Facebook's Marketplace.  We saw the need for a place for people to come together socially to buy, sell, barter or trade personal items using the platform.  By the end of that first evening, there were over a thousand members in the Chartion County Swap Shop alone.  Now, there are tens of thousands of member on the various "swap shop" networks throughout the state.