During the decade following graduation from the University of Maine, Bob was a teacher and later principal of a middle school near Bangor. In 1980, Bob & Rachel made a decision to make their life in the mid-coast and raise their sons in Bristol. This led to a career in shipbuilding with a 2002 transition to marine transportation in tug and barge operations. Before retirement in 2016, Bob managed global sea lifts, primarily in the energy sector.