I was born in Monterey, California a long time ago. My father was in the US Army at the time. I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan and lived there until I graduated from high school. After that my family relocated to Grand Rapids, where my father bought a men’s clothing and tailoring business. I graduated from Grand Valley State in 1974 and later from Western Michigan with a MBA. That was my first exposure to Kalamazoo. Upon graduation from WMU I relocated to Chicago where I lived and worked until moving back to Kalamazoo in 1996. I have worked in Kalamazoo as a self employed home remodeler ever since.

During the summer of 2000, unbeknownst to me at the time, the most significant events of my life unfolded. I took a trip to Latvia with my mother to visit and help my family reclaim real estate. Upon the urging of Lilita Austrins, I visited her cousin Rasa. As the saying goes, the rest was history. I married Rasa in Liepaja in July of 2001.

Rasa has filled a void in my personal life and in Latvian society. I now have an extended family in Kalamazoo and in Latvia. We have traveled countless times to Latvia, and feel at home there as much as in Kalamazoo. My Latvian language has obviously improved, as well as my understanding what it means to be Latvian. For this I feel blessed.

Rasa and I look forward to helping the Kalamazoo Latvian Association move forward in these changing times.

I was born in Indianapolis, where my parents were active in the local Latvian society, church, and school. I remember our family was always the first and the last at Latvian functions. I have a sister Anna l and brothers Peteris and Martins, all are married with children. I attended Purdue University and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Twenty-one years ago I founded and am still president of Protek Inspections. We evaluate the condition of residential and commercial properties. Our company was a pioneer in SW Michigan and remains a leader in this industry. We are expert witnesses in construction litigation, energy conservation & energy smart construction. I serve on the board of the Michigan Association of Home Inspectors, which is working on a law for licensing home inspectors.

I began my construction career at age 12, as an apprentice to my uncle Fricis Liepins. He was a good influence on my character and helped create my love for work.

I have three children: Janis in Colorado, married, a professional hunting & fishing guide; Mara, a kindergarten teacher in Riga, will be teaching in Angola, Africa for the next two years; Martins teaches survival and leadership skills in the wilderness and lives in Arizona, California and Washington. Malda, my spouse, has two children: Vija and Andrejs.

I attended summer church camp in Indiana and Garezers from its first year. Garezers is my second home. Some years ago I helped found the Garezers Building Committee. For the past 16 years I have helped plan and build new and remodel existing buildings and infrastructure. At the urging of Malda, I resigned two years ago from the Committee to work on my own home.

Being an avid hunter I wanted to share the bounty of the hunt. Out of this desire began the annual fundraising dinner for the Garezers Summer High School. Parents plan and cook the wild game dinner. One year the dinner raised almost $10,000 for the high school.

Twenty years ago I assisted in building the Kalamazoo Latvian Center by installing the wood parquet sport floor in the large hall with a group of volunteers. Today my ambition is to renew the Center, utilizing volunteers whenever possible. This will require an extensive evaluation of the present condition of the various systems. The components have aged and will require updates. I will lower our energy usage to decrease monthly utility bills. Other changes will lower our maintenance requirements. I am here to lend a hand.