Eric was born in Springfield, MA and moved to Tucson, AZ at the age of six. At a young age, Eric developed a great love for nature and wild birds and spent his childhood exploring the Sonoran Desert in southeastern Arizona. After graduating from high school in Tucson, Eric served a two-year mission to Texas for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Eric attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Marketing and Retailing.

For over twenty years—before, during and after college—Eric worked in the grocery industry. While working for Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, he was transferred to Prescott in 1991. Eric left the grocery business in 2000 and worked as the Community Services Manager for the Town of Chino Valley with direct responsibility for the Parks, Recreation, Library, and Senior Center departments.

In 2003, Eric combined his life-long interest in birds and his extensive retail background and opened Jay’s Bird Barn, a specialty retail store focused on the hobby of bird watching and bird feeding. Over the last eighteen years, Jay’s Bird Barn has grown to include a complete Hallmark Gold Crown Store as well as Arizona Field Optics, a company specializing in quality high-end optical equipment for bird watching and hunting.

Eric’s election to the Prescott City Council in 2021 is his first experience as an elected official. He is concerned about growth, water, transportation, infrastructure, quality of life, and transparency in government.

Eric’s interests include bird watching, hiking, bicycling, volunteer work, church participation and international travel. However, his greatest joy comes from being a husband, father and grandfather. Eric and his wife, Gayla, have been married 37 years and have reared six children in Prescott—five sons and one daughter. They now have six grandchildren and are hoping for many more!