Wes Maher was a small-town boy who met Northbrook girl Katie Hochschild at the University of Illinois, married her, and then moved to Northbrook – “100 yards from where she grew up” – four years ago. They are the parents of two little boys. He works for Libertyville’s Brightstar Corp.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Wyoming, Ill. – 1,400 people, a metropolis.
Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I wanted to be a football player. I blew out everything I had in this (left) knee when I was 17 years old. All those dreams died quickly.
Q: What was your first job?
A: Summer maintenance for the grade school. I was 15. Scrub down every room, redo the floors, paint the walls, mow the yards. Considering the limited options in a little town, a pretty good opportunity.
Q: If you could be on any reality show, which one would it be?
A: At this point in my life, it would be some sort of home renovation show. It would solve a lot of my problems and my wife’s.
Q: What’s your favorite restaurant?
A: We love David Burke’s Primehouse, downtown in the James Hotel (55 E. Ontario St.). The service has always been phenomenal and the food’s great.
Q: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen?
A: Wrigleyville on St. Patrick’s Day.
Q: Do you have any words of wisdom?
A: There is no substitute for experience. Good or bad. If you haven’t done it before, you can’t assume what the outcome is going to be.
Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.
-Irv Leavitt, Pioneer Press
Twitter: @IrvLeavitt
