In April of 1976, I began my employment with a local CPA Firm and one of my clients was Monge Realty and Investments, Inc., a prominent construction and development firm headquartered in Pekin, Illinois.

Through that association, I got to know Robert "Bob" Monge and his organization. Although the company had built numerous apartment communities, it only owned a few of them. Our CPA firm prepared tax returns for many of the various ownership entities. From my vantage point, I could see that the communities were not being well-managed and were aware that several of the entities were heading for financial difficulties.

When Bobs in-house accountant became terminally ill in late 1979, he asked if I would be interested in joining the operation as the Chief Financial Officer. I was happy with my career in public accounting and instead worked with Bob to find a replacement. After several possible candidates did not work out, I agreed to take the position, thinking once the situation was stabilized, I might return to my CPA firm. However, I enjoyed the work and the relationships and continued in the real estate industry for another forty years.