Bob grew up in Niles, Illinois, and started working when he was 12 on his paper route. He is the son and grandson of Pipefitters from the Local 597 Pipefitters union. The Pipefitters have been fighting for the past 125 years to keep America’s standard of living one of the highest in the world through working for fair wages, reasonable working hours, and conditions for its members. Bob’s mother was a nurse for over 30 years while raising three beautiful children.
Bob started working as a young man in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a runner and worked his way up through the ranks of investment banking while attending college and obtaining his degree in business administration. Bob has held seats on: the Chicago Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange, the only futures market to feature cattle and hogs (livestock), the Chicago Board of Trade managing municipal and treasury bonds trading, and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange trading spring wheat, soybeans, corn, and other related grains.
Having grown up working class, understanding the value of a dollar, and seeing the world of finance throughout his career, he realized that he wanted to help even the playing field for Coloradans. After leaving investment banking and trading, he threw his hat in the ring to represent District One on the Fort Collins City Council to protect neighborhoods and community, but he did not stop there. He was elected Larimer County Assessor in 2018. He has retooled an outdated office into a modernized office better able to serve the people achieving fewer appeals than Larimer County has seen in over a decade.
Along the way, Bob met the love of his life while living in Fort Collins. He is a stepfather to 4 fabulous kids aged 12-24. Bob and Kelly love supporting each other in their careers and public service; Bob especially enjoys helping her as she achieves her dreams as a small business owner in Northern Colorado. They both enjoy being parents of a Lesher Viking, FCHS Lambkin, and two CSU Rams!
