Ted Haupert

Writing is something I hadn’t intended to do. Me, a writer? The only thing that I had planned to be was a professional baseball player, but that wasn’t in the cards. My dad was an Engineer, that’s what he did for his career, working for aerospace companies until he retired. My mom was a Nurse. My wife, Sandy, is an Accountant. My three sons are a Professor, Machinist and an Airman in the U.S. Air Force. I have friends who are, or were: Teachers, Engineers, Mechanics, Police, Salesmen, Plumbers, Electricians, Editors, Lawyers, Doctors and so on. People tend to do something for a living that can be described by a title of some kind and stick with it for their working career. Some live out their childhood ambitions while others discover their calling along the way. I still haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up!

I finished college with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration after starting as an Engineering major. My concentration was in Management Information Systems. During the college years, I worked at a small manufacturer and could roughly describe myself as a machinist by the time I left. Suzuki Motor Corporation was starting up a new auto division and hired me to help with the distribution functions. I somehow became the “IT” specialist while also tasked with sales planning and distribution duties, allocating inbound shipments of vehicles to their dealers. From there I jumped into the cheese manufacturing business (go figure), primarily planning production and managing materials, but becoming somewhat of a catch-all for things nobody else was assigned to do. From there, a short stint as Purchasing Manager for a water district and then on to another small manufacturing company. We developed and manufactured radar absorbing materials for military applications and produced the “skin” for the deckhouse of a high-tech battleship built for the U.S. Navy. Naturally, that led to a sales position with a company that distributes thousands of products to support food and beverage manufacturers. Along the way I tested the waters with part-time gigs in insurance and investment sales, recreational vehicle sales, multi-level marketing and working in a winery tasting room. God has moved me around the chess board of working life! Good thing He knows what he’s doing because I sure never know what’s next.

I like to read and find a wide variety of topics that catch my interest. Some of them captivate my attention and I dig in a little deeper. Those that really draw me in seem worthy of sharing and prompt me to scribble some ideas to pass along to others. Not having a label on what I do leaves things wide open for a diversity of experience, and that I seem to have.

So, for now at least, I’m a Writer.