About Me

I am a professional graphic designer and writer, as well as the founder, owner, and president of The Garbely Publishing Company. For over a decade, my company has been providing freelance design, web, and publishing services to mostly railroad-related clients throughout North America.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History (with Honors) from Moravian College (now Moravian University) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I also minored in both Political Science and Art. I was professionally trained in collections and archival management at two Smithsonian-affiliated museums (the National Museum of Industrial History and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania), and I hold a professional Certificate in Editing from The Poynter Institute.

After writing my college honors thesis on the history of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, I wanted to get it published as a book. This led me to form The Garbely Publishing Company in 2012. I have since authored twelve more railroad books and published over 30 railroad history titles for other authors.

The publishing company was originally conceived as my “side job” outside of my professional career. I have spent the years since my college graduation working in marketing for a variety of industries. I’ve worked for a railroad, a well drilling company, and an environmental firm, successfully providing creative graphic design and advertising copy to develop corporate brands and acquire new business across all of these companies. With the publishing business booming, I finally left my day job and took on the publishing company as a full-time gig in March of 2019, continuing to work part-time elsewhere until August of 2020.

However, my experience with graphic artistry long pre-dates my degree and my professional work experience. Many of my teenage years were spent working in Photoshop to modify or create graphics in video games, and I designed my first website before I entered high school. Somehow, I found time to stay active in the Boy Scouts of America and earn the rank of Eagle Scout at age 15.

In addition to my professional work, I’m an active volunteer for several non-profit organizations, including TOYX (Erie Turntable, Operation Toy Train, and Dining Car Society), the Delaware & Hudson Railway Historical Society, the Tri-States Railway Preservation Society, and The Conrail Historical Society. On weekends, you’ll likely find me volunteering with one of these organizations, or working on my caboose that is stored with TOYX’s equipment in Port Jervis, New York.

I am an avid guitarist and music aficionado. I enjoy cooking, but I couldn’t bake if my life depended on it. When I’m not writing a book, volunteering with a non-profit, or traveling to the nation’s best restaurants and historic sites, I’m happily relaxing at home in the Poconos with my wife, our cats, and the wild deer that keep begging us for food.