I was the second child born to my Mother and Father, Jeanne I. Young (nee Morris) and Robert V. Young and I am one of ten children. I grew up in a nice middle-income family where we were taught to respect everyone regardless of creed or color and we were made to learn and do well in school and to play sports. I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and attended St. John The Evangelist grade school and Rosary High School; I also was an “altar boy” for church services when I was in grade school and started playing grade school football when I was in the Sixth grade. Most of the time I had 90+ scores on my report card and really started to have a thirst for knowledge in every field of learning including basic mathematics, spelling, diction, science and music. In the private Catholic schools, you were made to learn, and if you didn’t, you were given a failure score on your report card; my parents made sure that myself and my brothers and sisters did our homework and made good grades and instilled in us the pride you have in doing things well; and while in grade school I also developed a love of sports, football, basketball and track and my parents were big sports enthusiasts. While in grade school I also had many good friends and who are still some of my best friends – one of my closest friends, Bill Resch of the Resch’s Bakery family and myself, learned how to camp out for days and a week at a time beginning in the seventh grade, and we developed a love of the outdoors, fishing, canoeing and other camping activities – all of this, including sports we played, built our level of confidence in ourselves so we could accomplish things in our lives.

My education in grade school paved the way for my High School education and furtherance of sports competition in football, basketball and track. I twice received ‘Superior’ awards in Science Fair competitions for projects I did for propulsion and aeronautical applications. I played football, basketball and track in high school along with many top athletes which were on our teams, and we were taught to make the effort needed in order to win most of the time. I was a Co-Captain of our high school football team when I was a senior and named to the All-Independent football squad and other honors for my prowess in football and track; and in high school sports and college sports I played with athletes of all backgrounds and races, and we all got along and respected each other and our respective families regardless of any cultural differences; and, because of this respect for each other along with proper discipline, our sports teams from the private Catholic schools were always at the top level in their Leagues and State-Wide competition. And, when graduating, I received a “College Preparatory Diploma”. Besides Math, Science and other subjects in high school, my love for Music, Dance and the Arts became important. I was involved is several high school start-up groups and we always had school dances where I danced with most of the girls in my class, many of which I dated. And I also cleaned offices at my uncle’s Door Company building several times a week to earn some money.

I enrolled at Ohio State University in the Engineering program but only spent one quarter in the program, primarily because of lack of funds and other support. I started to find work and over the next several years and I worked in construction, at a Western Electric Plant doing wiring, at a Machine Shop running a lathe and other equipment, and at several other jobs; I always had a knack for making things mechanical and electrical work and even had worked in high school for an uncle’s company helping to install doors and other miscellaneous construction work. I married my High School sweetheart several years after graduating from High School. And shortly after that I began working for the Ohio State Highway Department (ODOT) where I started to learn Highway Engineering and Design hands on from seasoned engineers and designers. About two years later I began working for a private highway design engineering company, Berger Associates, doing many different aspects of highway design, and again from seasoned engineers and designers. I also did aerial photography occasionally for a subsidiary of Berger Associates that was used for topographic mapping – all of this work and training was a “hands-on” education in civil engineering and this education far surpassed any college civil engineering program. During this time period I studied for and received an Ohio Real Estate Sales License and started to work part time for my uncle’s real estate firm, Donald F. Morris Company. After approximately three years doing Highway Design, I left and started working full time as a Real Estate Sales Associate; I was learning how to market and sell property and about various legal agreements used for land purchases, commercial and industrial leasing, and other areas of the real estate business. And I was exposed to the real estate development business as my uncle was assembling land for the biggest developers in Central Ohio and was an expert in this phase of the Real Estate business – I was eager to learn about this from experts and companies in the home building industry because, as always, I had a thirst for knowledge. It wasn’t long before I started finding sites for builders and sites for restaurant chains and other commercial building users. I was also learning the law and construction of various legal agreements for the purchase and leasing of real estate, and of financing of real estate loans. After two years with my uncle’s company, I applied for and passed the test to become an Ohio Real Estate Broker and started my own company, ‘Young & Company’.

I started running my own real estate brokerage company and I also joined the Ohio Air National Guard and with the 121st Tactical Fighter Wing headquartered at Lockbourne Air Force Base (Now Rickenbacker Field). After Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and my return, I was offered to attend Flight School in order to fly Air Force aircraft, but turned the offer down because of a 51 Week program it would take and being away from my Real Estate business. My job at the Ohio Air Guard revolved around ordering aircraft parts and tools and working with the aircraft mechanics maintaining F-100 fighter Aircraft. In early 1968 our Unit was activated and we were sent to Kunsan Air Base in Korea for possible later deployment to Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam. This later deployment to Vietnam did not happen and in January, 1969 I was released from active duty on a 90-120 day early out as my enlistment was over.

After my return from active duty in the U.S. Air Force I resumed my full time active real estate career and started specializing in real estate brokerage for Commercial and Industrial property and Development of Commercial and Residential developments such as Strip Shopping Centers and Residential Subdivisions. I also joined several organizations such as the Jaycees and Sertoma and served in leadership positions in the Columbus Jaycees, Ohio Jaycees, the non-profit Community Camp, Columbus & Ohio Board of Realtors and also worked somewhat in political campaigns for County Area candidates running for various offices. Through these associations I was able to build friendships with business and community leaders and became friends of several City of Columbus Mayors and other officials and major business owners in Central Ohio. And through my activities in real estate and other business ventures I became involved in a number of legal situations which led to. my learning about Law and working in the various Courts in Central Ohio and the State of Ohio; I did not go to Law School and have not been admitted to the Bar, but have become what I term a “Student Of Law” wherein my ‘Hands On’ learning has allowed me to litigate and participate in civil lawsuits in many of the Ohio Courts and even in the Federal Courts.

I have also been a Private Pilot for over 20 years and participate in Flying and Photography work with the Principal of Top Site Aerial Photography and belong to the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assn. (AOPA). Also, I have been in involved in Farming through my associations with farmers in the Fairfield County, Ohio area after I bought a farm in that county and also was an owner of Thrush Orchard & Greenhouse. I also have been involved in Music ever since my days in Grade and High School and have been a Singer-Songwriter and have released two albums through my company Wanted Music, Inc. and under the Artist Name ‘Michael J.’. I also participated in the acquisition and management of Valley Dale Ballroom, an Over 100-Year Music & Meeting venue being successfully operated by the present owners and my former partners.

All of these activities have served me well in the continuous operation and growth of the Business Ventures I am involved in; Real Estate Brokerage, Real Estate Development, Music Publishing & Songwriting, Oil & Gas Operations, and continuing ventures into development of Energy & Fuel and certain disruptive mechanical innovations and processes.