Who is Carl (Charlie) Heegaard?

Carl (Charlie) L. Heegaard is a formally educated independent business man who has been working for himself in a wide diverse gamma of endeavors for more than 46 years. He started working when he was 12 years old selling hand made Christmas presents, which he built in his home carpentry shop, to his neighbors and friends in Portola Valley around the San Francisco Bay Area where he was born.

He always worked to make pocket money, whether as a swimming coach, a Red Cross swimming instructor, a life guard or the manager of his local sports club. Growing up in the 1950s in California was a time when young men kept busy by working hard and playing hard and, as the saying goes living the good life of the 1950’s California.

Charlie graduated from high school, in Barrington, Illinois where his father’s job had taken him. And after a few stops and starts in his college education, Charlie graduated from college in 1970 with a degree in finance and management of Nichols College of Business Administration in Dudley, Massachusetts.

With the Vietnamese War in full swing in 1970 Charlie applied and was accepted as a Peace Corps Volunteer stationed in Ghana, West Africa. His job entailed creating credit union societies among the Ewe people in then Volta Region of Ghana.

After finishing his two year contact with the Peace Corps, he chose to get a post graduate degree in hotel and restaurant management. At that time his parents lived in Esher, Surrey, England and through his father’s help, he applied and was accepted to the Institut Internationale de Glion in Monteux, Switzerland to study cooking and hotel management for one year.

Upon completion of this course, he applied and was accepted to work for Hilton Hotels International participating in their executive training program. He had many different and divers opportunities while working for Hilton, but what most called his attention was to become an executive chef. And that is precisely what he managed to do. He worked in many different kitchens in European Hotels, and learned a tremendous amount about food, a hobby and love which he continues to enjoy today.

While in Switzerland, Charlie met his future wife. They married two years later. The ceremony took place at the city hall in Amsterdam, Holland. They have been married now for more than 34 years. This union has produced three children. All three of which are well educated professionals today.

Charlie and his new wife left their life in Europe in 1975. They arrived in Miami, Florida with the illusion of finding a job in one of the hotels on the Sun Belt. As it turned out, Charlie worked for awhile with the cruises lines sailing between the islands of the Caribbean, but it was not to last very long.

His wife, Liliana, who was originally from Colombia, SA suggested that they go and visit her family in Colombia. Being in close proximity to Miami, it was an easy flight to Bogota. Once in Colombia, their lives were to take another sharp turn. They quickly decided to try their luck in Colombia. 31 years later they have a chain of restaurants that goes by the name of Charlie’s Roastbeef, which continues to grow and prosper today.

In 1997 Charlie and Liliana decided that because of political reasons they could no longer live in Colombia, so they sold their home and moved to Miami once again.

Today, Charlie, Liliana and their dog “Max” live in Miami, Florida. Charlie continues to work in many different things, but most of all he has developed a keen interest in the internet and on line businesses. It is an on going project by which he is learning new things everyday. Time will tell where it leads him. He, and his wife continue to travel back and forth to Colombia to check on their business there.