John was born and raised in Richmond, Ind. He was the Junior class president and captain of the swimming team at Richmond High School. He later studied Counseling Rehabilitation at the University of Southern Mississippi after transferring from Ball State University.

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In 1985, John changed careers and entered the business world. He worked for Hoffco/Comet Industries, serving as Director of Sales and Marketing.

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He came to Minnesota in 1998 as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Central Power Distributors of Anoka and did that until the company was purchased in 2020 by Medart Inc., a St. Louis company. He then became Director of Business Development and continues in that role today. John created and writes a company newsletter that goes out monthly to more than 8,500 subscribers and has done so for over 15 years. He also wrote a monthly column for Outdoor Power Equipment Magazine for over three years.

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John has served in leadership positions on various industry committees throughout his career. In Richmond, he was on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Battered Women, where he led the name change to Friends of The Battered. John went through the leadership ranks serving as First VP of the Board of Directors at the Scott Boys Club before moving to Minnesota. John led an Adult Sunday School Class at the United Methodist Church and for 10 years John hosted “Jazz with John,” a jazz show on a 50,000-watt Rock station, WQLK. He was an Associate Board member for four terms on the Minnesota Rental Association. After that, he served two years on a national board for the American Rental Association.

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John is a man of many interests. He enjoys music, grilling, golfing, and swimming. Despite his busy schedule, he still manages to swim almost five miles a week. John is happily married to Pam Hedges, and they have two sons, Alex (Katie) and Chase. They are also proud grandparents to Hudson and Lillie. 

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Pam and John are also small business owners since 2005. Their website www.JPSauceHouse.com reaches almost every state with their rubs and sauces that they distribute.