Raised on the Parker River in Newbury, Eric comes from a large, long line of mariners. Be it fishing, cruising, water sports, and/or “hanging on the Plum Island sandbar”, he recalls his family heading out for day trips en-masse, as many times as possible during the season. When he was a kid, his father built a 35’ Duffy that offered opportunity for many family excursions to points north, mostly in Maine. Eric went to Tritan Regional High School, then Whittier Regional Technical Vocational High School where he graduated with a degree in electrical technology. Before Whitter, Eric was selected to participate in the People to People Student Ambassador Program, an immersive travel experience and cultural exchange that sent him to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia where he met with local dignitaries, took part in summits and UN meetings, and enjoyed a variety of outdoor adventures.

On the work front, Eric bounced around North Shore marinas including Parker River Marine Sports, Curtis Custom Marine, Crockers, and Riverfront Marina working the docks and in yards. He worked for several employers honing his skills in roofing, electrical work, masonry, operating heavy equipment, and truck driving. He drove for Coca-Cola and Action Paving before landing with Hall & Moscow for about 5 years where he worked in many capacities including building the Institution for Savings’ clocktower in Gloucester and creating the extensive signature waterfall at the Hillside Center for Sustainable Living in Newburyport. He was with TRUE Homes & Design creating outdoor spaces when he heard that Merri-Mar was looking for help so he jumped at the opportunity. He has been working here for about a year…doing a little bit of everything.

Besides cruising around in his 22’ Chris-Craft, when not at work, Eric is into a variety of board sports and competitive mountain biking. He lives in Newbury with his girlfriend Renata, cat Smitty, and dog, Ivan.

An unusual truth about Eric is that “he has the propensity to finding his way to bad things”, like rescuing folks from boat accidents, finding missing deceased bodies in the Merrimack, and being the first on the scene of a nasty car crash. Being in the right place at the wrong time, or wrong place at the right time, has a few of the Newbury elders raising an eyebrow as far as Eric’s timing.