I was raised in Center Point, Iowa, by a municipal employee father and a school teacher mother, both of whom worked hard to support their three children. My small-town Iowa roots and working-class family life instilled in me a solid work ethic and a strong sense of community.
My best and most trusted friend is Sara, my wife of over 30 years, who is also an Iowa native. We have lived in Saylor Township since 2006, where we raised our four children currently ranging in ages from 27 to 14, and two of whom are still at home. Our entire family shares a love of people and community, and we have all been active over many years advocating at local and state levels for important issues, organizations, and candidates that promote freedom, strengthen families, and make Iowa a better place to live, raise a family, and operate a business.
My passion for people and community is part of my daily professional life, too. As president of the legal division for a Nashville-based national charitable estate and gift planning firm, I have helped our company and its charity clients direct billions of dollars to charitable causes around the country! I am also a founding partner of the Hagenow Gustoff Karas & Ridgway law firm, which we founded in 2009 with an express purpose of making a difference for causes that matter to Iowans. I am a small businessman who knows the struggles of making payroll and everything else that keeps small business owners awake at night.
I have also been a longtime volunteer board member for numerous nonprofit organizations and active in local church leadership circles. My wide range of volunteer activities have included Emmaus Bible College (Board of Trustees and Vice Chairman), Habitat for Humanity of Iowa (Board Member and President), Ruth Harbor Ministries (Board Member), Iowa State Bar Association (various committees), school choice and parental organizations, and serving eight years on the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Iowa (including the honor of being selected in each of those terms by my peers to serve as the party’s Treasurer).