Born in Fort Lauderdale and raised in Annapolis MD, Derek returned to South Florida 8 years ago. Derek's move back close to the Ocean was no surprise as his passion for being on the water has always been a major part of his life and spirit. By 8 years old, he was cruising the Chesapeake Bay and racing sailboats. Over time, he honed his skills on yachts up to 70', competing in local, national, and international sailing competitions before graduating high school.

After college at Miami University, he packed his bags and returned to Ft. Lauderdale to attend Maritime Professional Training where he earned numerous licenses, including the USCG 100ton Masters. This training quickly propelled him into the yachting industry, ultimately leading to work on a 59m Lurssen owned by one of the wealthiest individuals in the world for many years.

After years of being away from port in the yachting industry, Derek wanted to once again have a home base on dry land. Working in the family restaurant business, and then in his own establishments, he gained valuable hospitality experience in the front and back of house. He has been fortunate to partner in two restaurants and a bar, one located in Boca Raton's Mizner Park and the others off 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale. While overseeing the restaurants he became a licensed yacht Broker and now for the last few years he now owns and operates Blueprint Yachts, a brokerage and yacht management company. Derek also freelance captains vessels for his clients mostly around the East Coast, Bahamas, and Caribbean.

In addition to boating, his other joys in life include automobiles, diving, offshore fishing, cooking, and flying. Derek is very passionate about flying and holds his single and multi-engine instrument rating, and of course, a seaplane rating too!