Born: Chicago

College and major: Southern Illinois University, design science

Position: Chairman, Mercy Home Board of Regents, Founder of Diana’s Bananas

“My wife and I started this business a long time ago – it became an idea at the 1984 Taste of Chicago. We were at that event helping my then father-in-law and his candy company – he made fudge. And one of the kids had an idea that he would hold an experiment: he had a banana with him that he brought for lunch and he peeled it and stuck it on a screwdriver, and he put it in a pile of ice hoping it would explode. And with that, he simply backhanded that screwdriver with the banana on it into a small pot of melted chocolate – and that was the crazy moment. So, he pulls out this super frozen, luckily very sweet banana covered with really high-grade chocolate – and that was it. By the end of the 10 days, we had sold 25,000 of those bananas.”

Passions outside of work:

“My wife and I enjoy traveling around the world. I golf and I build model airplanes when the weather is bad.”

Favorite activities during high school:

“I played football for a while, I was a good student – my intention in high school was to get to college, so I studied. And I really enjoyed the science club.”

Favorite travel destination:

“I’ve been traveling to the US Virgin Islands for many years. The beaches are great, the food is the best and the history of the place just doesn’t stop. Think “pirates.” ”

Most influential person growing up:

“I studied under R. Buckminster Fuller at SIU. His global thinking taught me just how to address ways to grow and make life better.”

Favorite part about Mercy Home’s mission:

“There’s an ocean of opportunity to help those kids, and for me the Mercy method helps us drink that ocean one drink at a time, but it never stops.”